Should Miami Marlins' ex-Rays be on notice after latest move?

The Miami Marlins have a new boss, and between who left and who came in, it might be the biggest story of the young MLB offseason.

By all accounts, the decision to move on from Kim Ng was not a popular one in the Marlins' clubhouse. Well, if nothing else, at least a handful of the players can tell themselves they have something in common with new President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix. They're all now ex-members of the Tampa Bay Rays organization.

Then again, maybe that won't come as much comfort after all for these Miami Marlins

Why? Because one of the key voices that helped drive those players to Miami in the first place ... was Bendix himself. Which makes it more than fair to wonder to what extent those players will remain in the Marlins plans now that their new chief architect is someone who once considered them expendable.

The players in question? JT Chargois, Xavier Edwards, and Jesus Sanchez have all made their way over to Miami from Tampa since 2019. During that time, Bendix was at worst a vice president, if not the outright general manager. In other words, his fingerprints were all over those deals.

So the question is, what value did Bendix ascribe to them at the time? Were all of those moves a case of having to give something to get something, trading from depth to fill a need? Or were they all a case of "Rays magic," and another in a long line of examples of Tampa getting the best of another team by dealing trinkets for treasure? Or was it something in between, or a mix of the two?

Obviously, there are some other variables to consider here. For one, the valuation of those players has changed since the time of their trades. All three of them were valuable assets for Miami last season, and all three remain inexpensive. For another, they could all possess skill sets and traits that Bendix places a high value upon. If that's the case, one could argue they might be among the most secure players. Once a Ray, always a Ray as it were. They could be key parts of a new foundation.

But I think it's more than likely that Bendix and the rest of the Rays saw something in at least one of them that they didn't like, and that there is a reason the old cliche about first impressions exists. They do stick, and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if one of those three former Rays finds themselves a former Marlin as well.

It might be awhile yet before Miami Marlins fans have a clear sense of what to expect in 2024. However, I don't think it will be long at all before those fansand those three players) find out the answers to some of the questions raised above.