Stowers clarifies contract rumors, denying high demands and rejected offers. He's focused on the present, with four years of team control remaining.
Miami Marlins star outfielder Kyle Stowers wanted to set the record straight.
It was reported by The Athletic in late November that the Marlins offered Stowers, who was the team's lone All-Star representative in 2025, an eight-year, $50 million extension.
Per The Athletic, Stowers and his representatives then asked for the same number of years, but wanted around $100 million instead of $50 million.
When talking with media at spring training Monday morning, Stowers said that there was some talk of an extension, but no offer ever happened.
“There was some conversation," Stowers said. "I think the thing I struggled with, with some of the stuff that was reported, I didn't ask for $100 million, and I didn't turn down an offer. There was no offer."
The Marlins have a while before Stowers is a free agent.
Miami currently has four seasons of control on Stowers, who turned 28 last month.
But if the Marlins don't put a winning team on the field soon, it would make little sense for the team to keep Stowers well into his 30s.
If the Marlins don't improve on their 79-83 record this year, people will wonder how long Stowers has left in South Florida.
But a lot of Miami's success this season depends on how well Stowers follows up his breakout campaign.
He led the Marlins last season in home runs (25), batting average (.288), on-base percentage (.368), and OPS (.912).
Stowers didn't lead the Marlins in RBI, finishing four behind Otto Lopez, after missing 45 games with an oblique injury.
When Miami gets a young player who develops into an All-Star, many fans start to worry about how long the team will keep him. Given that Miguel Cabrera, Christian Yelich and, well, just about everybody on the 1997 World Series champions left Miami before hitting their peak, that's a reasonable concern to have.
But the Marlins could be a playoff team in 2026, and right now, Stowers is focused on doing anything he can to help that happen.
"I'm just so focused on this year," Stowers said. "We’ve got four years of control left. I understand it. They have every right to play my control out. And so I'm just so excited to be here, so grateful to be in this organization."
Stowers told reporters he wished the two parties could have worked something out over the winter.
Although it's true that extending their star left-fielder would have made Marlins fans feel good and would have made a statement to the rest of baseball that the Marlins meant business, it's also true that Stowers hasn't proven much beyond one season.
Before 2025, Stowers' big league career was limited to 117 games, so right this second, he's a "one-year wonder."
If he can repeat or exceed what he did last year, the Marlins would have little excuse not to do whatever it takes to extend him.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!