The Miami Marlins have started the season on the wrong foot. They’re 0-7 for the first time in franchise history, with four starting pitchers on the injured list. Several factors have come into play for this to happen. Whether it be a string of injuries to starting pitchers or an inactive offense there’s something wrong. The Marlins have been back-to-back swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Angels to start the season. Two teams ended in fourth place in their division and under .500 last season. The Marlins need to start figuring out what’s wrong as they have an away series against the St.Louis Cardinals starting today and will soon play the red-hot New York Yankees. Manager Skip Schumacher isn’t too pleased with the slow start either.
“They’re going about it the right way. It’s tough. They’re not happy in there. We’re not happy. As a staff, we’re here to try to help them get better and help them win games, and we’re not doing that right now, obviously, with no wins. So we’ve got to circle up as a staff and figure out how to get them on the right track.”
With this bad start to the season, rumors are looming that the Marlins could potentially be trading away their two arguably best players: Jesús Luzardo and Luis Arráez. With these two players gone, this would mean the Marlins are in full rebuild mode and focusing more on their farm system.
The Marlins Struggles Have Reached a New Low
Dormant Offense
One obvious reason for the Marlins early struggles has been their offense. Much like their struggles last season they are unable to back up their pitchers and produce runs. Even Arráez, their All-Star, has had his fair share of struggles and is unable to light a fire under the other players and motivate them to hit. Similarly, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has not been able to get hot. Across these first two series, the Marlins have been outscored 51-24. It gets worse from there, with their team average at the plate is .197, way below the Mendonza line. Offseason additions Christian Bethancourt hasn’t even gotten a hit this season and Tim Anderson hasn’t done much better either with six hits in 26 at-bats.
These offensive struggles could in part be associated with their failure to acquire huge free agents during the offseason. Unlike teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Marlin’s only huge signing came off a one-year deal with Anderson. They failed to sign the many powerful bats in the free-agent market. This has caused them to fall behind in a challenging National League East division.
Persistent Issues with Starting Pitchers
With their offense being little to no help, to make matters worse the Marlins have also been having issues with their pitchers. They have four starting pitchers on the injuries list. The most obvious is 2022 Cy Young, Sandy Alcántara who is out for the whole season recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Joining him will be Eury Pérez who will also be out for the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. The other two are Braxton Garret (shoulder impingement) and Edward Cabrera (shoulder soreness). Thankfully they all should be back soon as their injuries are minor.
Not only have injuries been an issue but their starting pitchers just haven’t been able to keep runs from scoring. Their top-of-the-rotation starter, Luzardo has a 4.35 ERA in two games. The rest of the starters have a combined 6.75 ERA.
A Path to Becoming Sellers
The Marlins are coming off their first playoff appearance in a full season since winning the 2003 World Series. It’s not too early to envision the club as a trade-deadline seller. Arráez and Luzardo would bring the most value, but they could also look to move other assets with big dollars to their names. First baseman Josh Bell ($16.5 million), outfielder Avisaíl García ($24 million in 2024 and 2025), and Chisholm Jr., who is earning $2.62 million this season. He has two years remaining on salary arbitration. If they continue to spiral, it might accelerate the process.
Main Photo: © Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
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