The Miami Marlins Are Dumb
This first explanation for the Miami Marlins fortunes in 2022 might appear to be low-hanging fruit, and without question as a bit unkind. Still…are they just dumb? Or, more politely, just really bad at their jobs?
Certainly, everyone employed by the organization knows a great deal more about baseball operations than I do. And while I don’t want to speak for the majority of the internet…actually, I’m comfortable doing that as well. The Marlins know way more than most of us, even if there are nights it doesn’t seem like it.
Consequently, I’d call this possibility the least likely. But it is possible the Miami Marlins just aren’t good at player evaluation, relative to the rest of the league. Particularly when it comes to free agents. Even the most grizzled Marlins fan would struggle to name the last time a free agent signing really worked out, and the most pie-eyed defender of the team would struggle to defend any free agent transaction made in 2022. That slump admittedly covers a few different GMs and two different owners, but it’s fair to wonder if problems extend beyond payroll in that department.
The 2022 Miami Marlins scapegoat most pointed to is Avisail Garcia. Leaving his $53 million contract aside, it is a deal that has stung on production alone. In 88 more at-bats, Garcia’s 2022 WAR…is exactly the same as that of Bryan De La Cruz. And it took a really big hot streak in June for Garcia to get there. Basically, they already had Garcia on the roster…and opted instead to go outside the organization to replace him.
Mark Canha and Joc Pederson both signed for less money elsewhere, and would have clearly been better fits. Both players are garnering serious All-Star consideration. Meanwhile, Garcia has been lucky to hold on to his position in Miami’s lineup. That’s bad enough, and we haven’t even gotten to the part where we circle back to the decision to not make the same contract offer to Starling Marte last July that they ended up making this past November.
Of course, there was another major blemish on the Miami Marlins offseason, and that’s the closer situation. Covering that, though, requires turning our attention to the second explanation…