Pete Fairbanks is a player known to be on their radar. He’s a natural fit as a proven closer who has ties to president of baseball operations Peter Bendix from their days in Tampa Bay. However, Isaac Azout and Kevin Barral from Fish On First wrote this week that the Fairbanks market will likely move outside Miami’s comfort zone.
Fairbanks opted for free agency when the Rays purchased his $11 million club option. They couldn’t find any trade interest at that price within the first few days of the offseason. Fairbanks could get a two-year contract at a slightly lower annual fee. His strikeout rates have fallen closer to league average in recent seasons, but he is coming off a 2.83 ERA with 27 saves in 60 1/3 innings. Fairbanks is still above 97 MPH and has had swinging strikes on almost 13% of his offerings this year. He fits next to people like Emilio Pagan And Kyle Finneganwhich commanded two-year contracts in the $19-20 million range.
The Fish have yet to sign a free agent this offseason. They have expressed interest in a few players who have ended up elsewhere, including a couple headed to Bendix’s old team. Azout noted that the Marlins were involved in the swingman market Steven Matz before agreeing to a two-year, $15 million contract with the Rays. In the meantime, Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reported last week that the Marlins were pursuing Carlo Mullins prior to his $7 million deal to become Tampa Bay’s new center fielder.
Mullins would not have been given daily center field reps in Miami. Jakob Marsee is locked in there after an excellent half-season debut. The 24-year-old hit .292/.363/.478 with five home runs in his first 234 at-bats in the big league. His .357 average on balls in play is due to some degree of regression, but he showed excellent plate discipline and contact skills with solid batted ball stats. Marsee was also a slightly above average defender in 475 innings.
The Marlins could use an experienced outfielder at corner. Kyle Stowers can play on both corners, which gives them some flexibility in that regard. Mullins has a below-average arm and likely would have been ticketed to left field, pushing Stowers to right. Griffin Conine, Heriberto Hernández And Dan Myers could now be in the mix for playing time. They’re all in their mid-20s and have struck in the upper minors at such an alarming rate that it’s unlikely any of them are a regular.
Miami is reportedly willing to spend more than usual this offseason, though they haven’t put that into practice yet. They kicked around over extension numbers with Stowers, but reportedly faced a gap of about $50 million. They plan to re-engage with a young starter Eury Perez about a potential long-term deal after those talks begin in Spring Training.
Marsee is another logical candidate after his impressive first few months. Fish On First reports that there is some interest from both parties in a long-term deal, although the team has not yet submitted an offer. Expansion talks often start later in the offseason and during Spring Training, so there is plenty of time.
Hitters who sign extensions within their first year of MLB service are often top prospects. This is not the case with Marsee. He was a sixth-round pick by San Diego, who was widely viewed as the second-best of the three prospects traded to Miami. Luis Arraez. (The center, former first-round pick Dillon Headis coming off a .223/.334/.318 season in A-ball.) Marsee entered the 2025 season as the #12 prospect in the Miami organization, according to Baseball America. He did not appear in any Top 100 lists.
The closest recent point of comparison is probably Ceddanne Rafaelaalthough even he was more highly regarded than Marsee before his MLB debut. The Red Sox signed him to an eight-year, $50 million guarantee with a club option for a ninth season. Stylistically they are very different players. Rafaela was an elite defensive outfielder whose extremely aggressive approach led to questions about the hitting tool. Marsee is not as athletic, but is a much more polished hitter who has had more success in the big leagues than Rafaela did at the time.
However, Rafaela had garnered some attention in the Top 100 and signed his contract in his age 23 season. Marsee turns 25 in June. The Fish are likely reluctant to put a $50 million offer on the table a few months into his career. That’s reportedly close to what they offered Stowers, who is two years into his career and is coming off an All-Star season. Marsee is under club control during his 30-year campaign.
#Marlins #notes #Fairbanks #Mullins #Matz #Marsee