What’s next for franchise after surprising run?
TheMarlins have young arms, but they need hitters
After a wild run, the Marlins’ surprising turnaround season finally came to a close on Thursday.
Making the postseason for the first time since 2003, Miami reached theNational League Divisional Series before being swept in three games by the Atlanta Braves. While the year ended in abrupt fashion, Miami’s season could be considered nothing short of a rousing success. The Marlins, who lost 105 games last season and had 18 players miss time early this 60-game season due to COVID-19, turned a significant corner in its rebuild with a host of talented young players making an impact this season.
So after their playoff run, what’s next for the Marlins? Here are three things to keep an eye on heading into 2021:
Starting rotation looks strong
Perhaps the biggest bright spot from the season was the emergence of the team’s young staff. Atop the rotation, Sandy Alcantara took a major step forward, showing he can be the team’s ace moving forward. After an All-Star season in 2019, the 25-year-old right-hander posted a 3.00 ERA in seven regular season starts andwas strong during the team’s postseason run.
Additionally, Pablo Lopez (3.60 ERA) and rookie standout Sixto Sanchez (3.46 ERA) both impressed throughout the season and give Miami a strong nucleus of starters under 26.
While those three figure to have rotation spots locked up, there will be plenty of competition for the remaining two openings. Before being sidelined with a season-ending lat injury, Elieser Hernandez was especially strong, posting a 3.04 ERA in five starts. Despite having made just five starts above High-A, rookie left-handerTrevor Rogers rose to the occasion during the COVID-19 shortened season. While he was uneven at times, the 22-year-old southpaw flashed potential during seven regular-season starts.
Nick Neidert and 2016 firstround pick Braxton Garrett give Miami another pair of talented young arms who could battle for rotation spots next season.
Marlins need young bats to emerge
While the Marlins’ young arms showed tremendous growth, the hitters were further behind. During the three-game sweep by the Braves, the Marlins’ offense scored just five runs andwere shut out twice. For Miami to take the next step, its young group of batters will have to step up.
With so much roster upheaval, the Marlins were forced to play a number of their talented young position players. The early returns were especially rough. Monte Harrison, Jesus Sanchez, Lewin Diaz, Jazz Chisholm and Isan Diaz all struggled throughout the season and seemed overmatched at the plate. For theMarlins to continue to improve, those players will have to live up to their high potential.
“We had a lot of [position players] comeup this year,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “Some of them struggled, some of them looked OK. So I think we’ll see in spring training howmuch this has helped them. All these guys have to get better. We’ve got a number of guys that will have to take steps forward and there are still guys coming. You’re talking about JJ Bleday, [Jerar] Encarnacion and there’s other cats coming too. There’s going to be a lot of competition. You have to continue to improve to be able to make this club better.”
Showme the money
Arguably the most important storyline for the franchise’s longterm financial growth will take place off the diamond. With the season over, the Marlins’ 10-year TV deal with Fox Sports Florida has officially expired. The contractwas one of theworst in baseball, paying Miami $15 million to $20 million annually. For comparison, the NL East rival Phillies make a reported $100 million annually.
While negotiations for a new deal have been ongoing since Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter purchasedtheteamin2017, timeis now of the essence with the 2021 season less than six months away. Asa low-revenuefranchise, securing a strong TV contract would give the Marlins a significant — and necessary— financial boost.
As far as a time frame, it’s possible for negotiations to go to spring training. Sinclair, owner of Fox Sports Florida, didn’t finalize their new TV contract with the Royals this seasonuntil afewdays before spring training.