Miami Marlins: Four Moves to Become Playoff Contenders
By Jason Reed
Despite missing the playoffs in 2016, the Miami Marlins got the ball rolling toward success. With Don Mattingly in charge, Miami just might find themselves in October baseball before they know it.
The Miami Marlins will come into 2017 with a drive and desire unprecedented to anything we’ve ever seen before. After the tragic death of Jose Fernandez, all of America will be rooting for the Marlins – and rightfully so. The positive thing for the Marlins is they have a great amount of talent and may be on the brink of making the postseason. In what would be the first appearance since 2003, the Miami Marlins may very well squeeze themselves into a Wild Card slot. With superstars such as Dee Gordon, Giancarlo Stanton, and Christian Yelich, the Marlins have laid the foundation for success.
Amazingly, if the Marlins made the postseason, they may even win the World Series! The only two times Miami has made the postseason, 1997 and 2003, they took it all as the Wild Card. Now this may be a little hyperbolic, but I would not be opposed to seeing the Miami Marlins pull off the Cinderella story and take home championship gold in 2017.
With only a few pieces missing from the puzzle, an active offseason may provide the Marlins with the groundwork to win games next season. For a team that has finished better than 26th in total attendance only once since 2001, this would be a much-needed jolt to the landscape of the franchise. The city of Miami doesn’t seem to be a baseball city, with the Marlins taking the back seat to the Heat and Dolphins. A long-awaited postseason berth will certainly revitalize the franchise in Miami.
Regardless, the Marlins are only a few moves from success. Building around the core of Gordon, Stanton, and Yelich should be the key priority. Therefore, here are four moves to put the Marlins in playoff contention.