The Miami Marlins are opening their wallet for key acquisitions. Is this offseason spending a strategic move tied to the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement?
It's a new chapter in Miami Marlins history.
Coming off a soaring season, finishing with a 79-83 record, and they were in the hunt for the playoffs until the very end. The potential of this team is through the roof, as outfielder Kyle Stowers was a worthy All-Star, alongside a few other promising pieces in catcher Agustin Ramirez, second baseman Xavier Edwards, and shortstop Otto Lopez.
However, to reach new heights, reinforcements were needed.
After free agency opened, the Marlins were slow to attack, but made a couple of key moves.
First, they signed outfielder Christopher Morel to a one-year, $2 million contract. He's coming off a full season with the Tampa Bay Rays, 278 at-bats, 61 hits, 11 home runs, 33 runs batted in, with a batting average of .219, but a WAR of -0.3. Morel is considered a low-risk, high-reward acquisition. Given how far player development has come under the Peter Bendix regime, perhaps Morel could find a more-fitting opportunity 283 miles south of Florida.
However, it didn't stop there, as the Marlins made a big splash in signing right-handed pitcher Pete Fairbanks for one year at $13 million, which is the largest for a free-agent reliever in franchise history. It's worth noting that he's the highest-paid player on the roster. The 32-year-old appeared in 254 games, 244.1 innings pitched, 183 hits allowed, 19 home runs allowed, recording an ERA of 2.87.
The signing came after the team announced right-handed reliever Ronny Henriquez underwent UCL surgery and will miss the entire upcoming season.
The organization is relying on its core players to take another leap, while also trending towards playoff contention with a couple of upgrades. However, the offseason was different than usual, as a couple of other small-market organizations, such as the Oakland Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates, also made financial splurges.
Usually, it's a situation when they attempt to prevent a grievance being filed against them, such as the Athletics before the 2018 season, but there's another and more important side to the business that's catching up to the professional sport of baseball.
The league's Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire after the upcoming regular season. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal believes it's connected to the new "willingness" to spend on the free-agent market from small-market teams, including the Marlins.
"I do believe that it's CBA-related," Rosenthal said. "Maybe these teams have been at least nudged in a direction where MLB is like, 'we're not going to be able to make a strong case when you're pulling this.'"
There was some notion early in the offseason that a grievance would have been filed against the Marlins had there been no moves. Regardless, it appeared Miami's front office was committed to taking a step forward in competing in the National League, eyeing the playoffs. They have a chance at making a strong push with spring training is around the corner.
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