Sports

Should the Miami Marlins Be Buyers or Sellers?

By Joe Najarian Athlon Sports

The Miami Marlins are facing an interesting predicament.

Thanks to a 14-4 surge to begin June, the Marlins are right in the thick of the playoff hunt. Entering Monday, they trail the Chicago Cubs by just a half-game for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

These results are in sharp contrast to preseason expectations, most of which had the Marlins out of contention and selling pieces before the August 3 trade deadline. Nonetheless, Miami is still just two games above .500 at 40-38, meaning they are still a long way from becoming a true contender.

This begs the question: should the Marlins be buyers or sellers?

Why the Marlins Should Buy at the Trade Deadline

The ultimate answer for the Marlins is that they should still try to capitalize on what appears to be a seller's market, but lean more towards buying and acquire the necessary pieces for future contention.

Miami's farm system is primarily anchored by pitching prospects like Thomas White, Robby Snelling and Karson Milbrandt; although both White and Snelling are injured (Snelling underwent Tommy John surgery this year), they are the Marlins' top two prospects. Meanwhile, the most attractive trade targets across MLB are pitchers.

As such, Miami should look to deal any pitchers who wouldn't figure into their long-term plans. Most notably, starter Sandy Alcantara is in the final guaranteed year of his contract and has been linked as a trade target for what seems like forever. The 30-year-old has a 4.18 ERA but is second in the majors with 103.1 innings pitched, and his status as a workhorse has never faded.

The Marlins would surely miss Alcantara's durability if they were to trade him, but their starting rotation would still be in good shape with Max Meyer as the ace. The 27-year-old righty is breaking out with a 2.80 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 1.16 WHIP and 102 strikeouts in 90.0 innings. Miami can surely build the rotation around him moving forward.

These previous statements indicate that the Marlins should be sellers. However, this applies to pitching (specifically Alcantara); on the other hand, they should be buyers for position players.

Otto Lopez, Xavier Edwards and Liam Hicks are all emerging as legitimate cornerstones this year. Owen Caissie and Jakob Marsee are struggling, but they offer tremendous upside moving forward. The Marlins in general have young and hungry position players, and that's why they need a veteran star to help them reach their full potential.

The areas where the Marlins can improve are the corner infield spots and left field. Fortunately, there are good candidates for all of these positions. San Francisco Giantsthird baseman Matt Chapman and Boston Red Soxfirst baseman William Contreras would instantly give Miami strong play both at the plate and in the field if they are willing to waive their no-trade clauses. If the Baltimore Orioles choose to sell, then the Marlins can go after Taylor Ward to solidify left field for the rest of the season.

While making moves like these would be out of character for the Marlins, they will have no choice but to increase their payroll in the future. If MLB introduces a salary cap that forces every team to operate on a budget like Miami does, a salary floor will almost certainly come with it and force the Marlins to spend. This means they can use deadline acquisitions from this year to meet a potential floor, as well as try to re-sign Ward as a free agent if they were to trade for him.

This trade deadline is going to be one of the most important deadlines in Marlins history based on baseball's uncertain dynamics and their emerging young team. It would be most logical for them to both buy and sell, as they can balance out high-priced additions by getting a haul for their own trade chips. They're not a World Series contender yet, but if they make the right moves by August 3, they could be in position to make the postseason - and as 1997 and 2003 taught them, anything can happen there.

Copyright 2026 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 11:37 AM.

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