Eury Perez only untouchable starter in Marlins pitching trade talks

There has been speculation all winter that the Marlins will add hitting help by trading one of their starting pitchers. Eury Perez seems to be the only name that is off limits, like The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal writing that the Fish are “at least listening to offers” for pitchers besides the 22-year-old right-hander.

Given how the Marlins have discussed a contract extension with Perez’s camp in the past and are expected to revisit those talks this offseason, it’s no surprise that Perez is being left out of broader trade talks. Perez is already under team control through the 2029 season and won’t be eligible for arbitration until next winter, so there’s no urgency from Miami to move a pitcher who looks like a cornerstone. Of course, the Marlins’ attitude could change if a team were to approach them with a truly huge trade offer for Perez, but barring that kind of Godfather offer, Perez will certainly stay put.

There’s also the fact that if the Marlins actually wanted to deal Perez right now, they would do so at slightly less than peak value. Perez still has thrown just 186 2/3 innings in the Majors, almost evenly split between 91 1/3 innings in his 2023 rookie season and 95 1/3 frames this past year. In between, of course, the 2024 campaign was a total failure for Perez due to Tommy John surgery, and his recovery from the procedure kept the right-hander from making his 2025 debut until June 9.

The return to action was fairly smooth, as Perez posted a 4.25 ERA, 27.3% strikeout rate, and 8.3% walk rate in 2025. This matched his walk rate in 2023 and only a slight drop from his 28.9K% in his rookie year, and while Perez had a 3.15 ERA in 2023, his SIERA totals over the two seasons (3.94 in 2023, 3.80 in 2025) were virtually the same. Perez allowed plenty of hard contact in 2025, but his fastball velocity and fastball spin rate both remained elite post-surgery.

Now further removed from the TJ procedure and with a normal offseason, Perez is seen as a key part of the Marlins rotation both in 2026 and into the future. His importance to the rotation will only increase if the Marlins end up moving another starter, which seems like a logical tactic for the Fish to address their lineup holes. Sammon and Rosenthal describe a starter trade as “a strong possibility” for the Marlins ESPN’s Jeff Passan goes a step further, writing, “Miami will almost certainly move a starting pitcher this winter.”

Braxton Garrett missed all of 2025 due to revision surgery at UCL and Max Meijer underwent season-ending hip surgery in June, so it’s safe to assume that these two pitchers are also unlikely to receive treatment for such serious injuries. Tomas White And Robby Snelling are two of the Marlins’ top prospects, and since the Fish aren’t far from a full rebuild mode, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix isn’t likely to move such key minor leaguers before they even reach the Show. Each of Dax Fulton, Ryan likes it, Adam Mazuror Janson Junk probably wouldn’t yield much trading returns.

This leaves perhaps the most likely trade candidates Edward Cabrera, Sandy Alcantaraor Ryan Weers. Alcantara is the Marlins’ highest-paid player and has been the subject of trade rumors for years, but with Miami set to get back into contention, the Fish could be backing away from the idea of ​​moving him anyway. Recent reports indicate that Alcantara is still expected to be with the club in 2026, and that the Marlins will only move Cabrera for a big trade return.

Cabrera and Weathers are each controlled through 2028, so again, there’s no reason why Miami should necessarily move either of these arms before Opening Day. However, both pitchers have lengthy injury histories and the Marlins could be willing to sell relatively high (particularly on Cabrera) before another health issue impacts future trade value or keeps either pitcher off the Marlins’ home mound.