Should the Marlins Just Sit Back and Enjoy the Ride?

At this point, we are all at a loss for words as to how the 2025 Miami Marlins have performed thus far.

Heading into play on July 29, the Marlins currently sit in third place in the NL East with a 50-55 record. Not only are they just five games under a .500 mark that no one anticipated them to sniff, but they currently sit only seven games back of the final wild-card spot in the National League, having won their last four series.

The most recent series win came against the Milwaukee Brewers, who entered the series with the best record in Major League Baseball. The Marlins showed up on the road and took two of three from the hottest team in MLB.

We’ve now reached an interesting point, not just in the Marlins’ season, but in the MLB season as a whole. The trade deadline is this Thursday, July 31, at 6 pm EST. Dating back into the offseason, the Marlins have been in every rumor that involved a team shipping players out as the deadline neared.

The most notable names are starting pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera. In terms of offensive pieces, the options were limited, but Jesús Sánchez has been mocked to every team who may be looking to add a lefty, corner outfield bat.

Then you had players who have massively stepped up this year, such as Otto López and Kyle Stowers. Both of those could have been considered trade candidates coming in, as no one knew their status on this roster.

While sitting here today, both of these players look to have solidified their spots on this roster going forward.

There’s no denying that the Marlins do hold valuable assets on their roster that other teams are hoping to pry away from them. The question remains, though, should they actually sell?

Stats and rankings taken prior to play on July 29.

The Sandy Dilema

Let’s start with Sandy.

The Marlins’ unofficial captain was heading into 2025 as his first year back after a year and a half layoff while working his way back from a torn UCL he suffered at the end of the 2023 season.

After shipping off Jesús Luzardo to the division-rival Phillies in the winter after he missed the majority of the 2024 season with a back injury, many wondered if the Marlins would sell Sandy before he got on the mound to either preserve his unanimous Cy Young-caliber potential, or allow for him to prove whether he could do it again.

Well, we all know that this season has not been nice to Sandy.

Through 104 innings pitched, he has a 6.66 ERA with a career-low 6.66 K/9, and he has only accumulated 0.7 fWAR to this point.

The underlying numbers are a little better, as he has a 4.47 FIP and 4.41 xFIP. If you were to also look at his box scores from his most recent starts, he’s had some encouraging starts and the walks have been kept in check.

The strikeout numbers still haven’t been there, but he has been able to keep the ball on the ground as well as he was pre-Tommy John surgery.

Where would they be if he had pitched to this degree since the beginning? Who knows. What I do know, though, is that if they do ship Sandy in the coming 48 hours, they likely would be selling low on what he could be moving forward for the team that acquires him.

Edward Is Finally Bought In

Edward Cabrera has been one of the most fascinating, and impressive, storylines across all of baseball this year.

Prior to this season, his career-low ERA was a 3.01 across 71.2 innings back in 2022. He only pitched in 14 games that year. Across his career, the most he has ever pitched is 99.2 innings in 2023. To this point, he has pitched to a 3.35 ERA in 94 innings pitched and continues to improve each time he toes the rubber.

There is no way anyone could have guessed that Cabrera could potentially be the piece that nets the Marlins the big return they have been looking for.

With the revamped pitching philosophy the Marlins have undergone dating back to the offseason, Cabrera finally looks bought into what the team is selling.

There have not been the rumors of character issues like in years past with Cabrera either. Yes, he has still dealt with the little nicks and bruises here and there, but he has yet to miss a start for this team. In a league starved for starting pitching, let alone good starters, the potential return that the Marlins could get for Edward would truly catapult their farm system into the top echelon of baseball.

Teams like the Tigers, Cubs, Yankees, and Red Sox have been linked to the right-hander and have the pieces necessary to pull off a trade for a starter like this who still has three years of control left.

Other Potential Pieces

Like starting pitching, relief pitchers are all the craze for contenders as we inch toward the end of the year.

Another Peter Bendix waiver-wire master class is leading the Marlins ‘pen in Ronny Henriquez. The 25-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Twins and now looks to be a closer of the future with how he has performed this year.

Anthony Bender looks to be fully back from his own Tommy John surgery rehab. Then arms like Calvin Faucher, Cade Gibson, and Connor Phillips have all filled huge roles for them and have played key parts in why the Marlins have been as successful as they have. All of which would be of tremendous interest to a contender looking to bolster the back end of the bullpen for the final stretch.

As I mentioned previously, Jesús Sánchez is another player who has been floated around in trades for some time. The lefty is currently shashing .257/.323/.412 with nine home runs, a 104 wRC+, and 1.0 fWar in 328 plate appearances.

Like Cabrera, Sánchez finally looks to be bought into what they new brass is trying to sell to its players, and it’s paid off tremendously for his development.

Moreover, Stowers went from a throw-in for the Trevor Rogers-for-Connor Norby trade to being the best player on both sides of the trade, coming off his first-ever All-Star Game appearance this year. Stowers now looks to have solidified himself as a part of the Marlins’ long-term future.

Lopez is another success story from the waiver wire. How he has been moved around as much as he has is truly surprising. He has become a staple in the middle of the Marlins’ order and has played a big part in why they have been so successful.

It’s not just at the plate, though. He is playing Gold-Glove-caliber shortstop for a team that has been looking for an answer at the position since they moved off Jazz at shortstop.

Should They Stay, Or Should They Go?

The Marlins have to decide what’s more important for them going forward. Do they sell their performing pieces, which still have years of team control, or do they keep them and continue to build off of this momentum heading into this offseason?

To me, the risk might outweigh the reward.

Marlins fans have been longing for some familiarity on their roster. This core that they have formed is working. The team chemistry is stronger than the city has probably ever seen, even when compared to the COVID-shortened season when the Marlins made the playoffs.

This team is having fun. These players are still under contract for multiple years. Continue to build on what they have been able to piece together from the trades they’ve already made, load up on some holes during this offseason, and assess your future at that time.

The Marlins faithful are showing up to the games. Prove to them that you believe in this team and continue to make strides towards making this team a true contender. Go Fish.