Miami Marlins Can’t Be Caught Crying Poor Over Castellanos

The Miami Marlins don’t think Nick Castellanos is worth the cost based on team need. Spending on the needs they do have just became even more critical.

Based on current roster construction, Nick Castellanos was never a good fit for the Miami Marlins.

The best thing he had going for him?A childhood spend growing up in Davie. A fact also true of my best friend, but I never considered her a serious solution to Miami’s center field woes. Check back in with me in July on that score though.

Kidding aside, Castellanos is a better hitter than anyone in the Miami Marlins organization, at least based on MLB track record. That’s not nothing, far from it. Still, indications are that Miami is dropping out of the race. Unfortunately, signing him would have basically necessitated not one, but two of Miami’s other projected starting outfielders playing out of position. That, or taken away major at bats from fan favorite and secret weapon Garrett Cooper at DH.

In short, a lot of roster shuffling, at the cost of either defensive ability in a big outfield or max offensive potential or both, with an annual price tag that the organization was unwilling to pay to Giancarlo Stanton or Christian Yelich (both of whom are better MLB players). There are abundant baseball specific reasons that, at the end of the day, this was a prudent decision by Miami’s front office. A prudent decision, and sign of encouraging things to come with someone with more front office acumen than Derek Jeter making the final call on roster moves.

But. 

If the Miami Marlins are going to be successful as a franchise, it is absolutely essential that they control the narrative on this story and keep it about those purely baseball specific reasons. What this cannot be, absolutely cannot be, is yet another example of Marlins penury in a sad, long history of Marlins penury. Because if it is, Jeter wins, the team loses, and baseball could well be on its merry way to being dead in South Florida.

So what do the Miami Marlins need to do now?

What winning organizations do when a move like this doesn’t work out. Successfully pivot, and strengthen the roster elsewhere instead. Fill those other holes. Ideally, that means paying whatever the Pittsburgh Pirates are asking in exchange for All-Star center fielder Bryan Reynolds. If that really is that impossible though, if the price really is that unreasonable right now, then find another solution. Trade for Ramon Laureano, and then spend big on Kenley Jansen at closer. Get an elite left fielder that better justifies pushing Avisail Garcia into center. Realize that Brian Anderson hasn’t earned the right to block anyone, and go sign Kris Bryant or Trevor Story. Get creative. Now. Not later.

For what it’s worth, I do believe this is about the purely baseball reasons. I really do. Castellanos is not worth $150 million. Some of the free agents projected to be available in 2023 are, as are a combination of current Marlins if they have another good season in 2022.

But that sentiment, that level of trust, is directly tied to the Miami Marlins doing something else this season to meaningfully close the gap in the NL East.