While the rest of the National League East spent the offseason getting better, the Miami Marlins continued selling off their best players. The Marlins have now traded Dee Gordon, Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and J.T. Realmuto in the last year and change. Miami avoided 100 losses last year, but it's going to be tough to miss the century mark again this year. Starlin Castro is a top 10 second baseman and third baseman/right-fielder Brian Anderson is set to build on a productive rookie season, but other than that, the Marlins' roster is mostly inexperienced.
This winter, Miami added affordable veterans in Curtis Granderson, Sergio Romo and Neil Walker. The club's top two prospects -- Sixto Sanchez and Victor Victor Mesa -- weren't in the organization at the end of last season. The Marlins signed Mesa, along with his brother Victor Jr. in October and they acquired Sanchez as part of the return in the Realmuto trade with Philadelphia.
Miami's minor-league system ranks in the top half of MLB teams and provides an opportunity for optimism. But the team's going to be waiting for their high-risk, high-reward prospects to be big-league ready. Until that happens, we might start to see some of the club's retooling take shape but overall, the 2019 season doesn't look too promising.
Probable lineup
Curtis Granderson, LFStarlin Castro, 2BBrian Anderson, 3BNeil Walker, 1BJT Riddle, SSPeter O'Brien, RFJorge Alfaro, CLewis Brinson, CFBench: Martin Prado, 3B, Rosell Herrera, INF/OF, Miguel Rojas, SS, Garrett Cooper, 1B, Chad Wallach, C
Probable rotation
Jose Urena, RHPDan Straily, RHPTrevor Richards, RHPSandy Alcantara, RHPWei-Yin Chen, LHPMarlins manager Don Mattingly doesn't plan on using a regular six-man rotation, but said the team could still utilize the starting depth to its advantage. Mattingly certainly will have options this season.
Right-hander Pablo Lopez and left-hander Caleb Smith -- both coming off promising rookie seasons -- will be returning from injuries sustained at the end of last season. Lopez missed the final month of last season due to a right hand strain, while Smith underwent surgery to repair a torn lat muscle.
Miami also has right-handers Elieser Hernandez, Jeff Brigham and Merandy Gonzalez who all pitched in the big leagues in 2018, along with top pitching prospects Nick Neidert and Zac Gallen who both could make their MLB debuts in 2019 and help in the rotation and/or the bullpen.
Probable bullpen
Closer: Sergio Romo, RHP
Setup: Drew Steckenrider, RHP, Adam Conley, LHP
Middle: Tayron Guerrero, Tyler Kinley, RHP, Jarlin Garcia, LHP, Riley Ferrell, RHP
Long: Nick Anderson, RHP
Drew Steckenrider, Sergio Romo, Adam Conley and Tayron Guerrero are all locks for the bullpen in 2019. The Marlins also have right-hander Julian Fernandez, who was claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. He'll begin the season on the injured list while recovering from Tommy John surgery but is likely to join the bullpen during the second half of the season.
Anderson becoming a cornerstone
After a solid rookie season in Miami, Brian Anderson has the chance to be a cornerstone piece in the Marlins' rebuild. Anderson could be primed for an All-Star season in 2019 if he improves on his power hitting and avoids a second-half slump. Anderson finished fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting and led the team in doubles (34), runs scored (87) and on-base percentage (.357) while finishing second in hits (161) and RBI (65) last year. The 25-year-old is versatile enough to play multiple positions, but he's set to be the team's everyday third baseman in 2019.
How will the outfield sort out?
The Marlins will probably never have another outfield like they once did with Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna. After the trio's departure, Miami's lineup went from the 11th highest scoring offense in 2017 (778 runs) to dead last in 2018 (589 runs). But the upside is that the Marlins' batch of young outfielders seem poised to hit their stride in 2019.
The outfield starters for 2019 will probably look something like this… Veteran outfielder Curtis Granderson will start in left field and likely platoon throughout the year. Lewis Brinson, 24, will start in center field and hope for a turnaround after a rough rookie year. Florida native Peter O'Brien, 28, will start in right field. Other younglings that are primed to join the outfield mix: Rosell Herrera, Monte Harrison, Austin Dean and Magneuris Sierra. Plus, top prospect Victor Victor Mesa is in that mix too, but there is still uncertainty on how the outfield spots will shape up over the next few seasons. The 2019 season should be when the Marlins can start sorting out the outfield competition and finding definite roles for their outfield surplus.
Will the bullpen stay a team weakness?
Last season, the Marlins bullpen had the worst bullpen ERA (5.34) in the game. Miami's relievers finished with just 30 total saves, which ranked 29th in the league. The newly acquired Sergio Romo had nearly that many on his own last season with the Tampa Bay Rays (25). Romo along with Drew Streckenrider gives the club a decent bullpen foundation but the Marlins are going to need some of the other relievers to step up.
