The Miami Marlins are four games back from a wild card position after an impressive four-game sweep of the Washington Nationals (now three games after their win over the Angels). Yet, fans aren’t happy with the front office. This means that the fans are mad at the head honcho herself, Kim Ng. She has been the Marlins general manager since 2020 (only two years on the job). So, how can the fans already be impatient?
Before we talk about the negative, I want to give Ng credit for doing something the Marlins never do – re-sign players to long-term deals. She locked up Sandy Alcantara (the best pitcher in baseball) through 2026. This is a breath of fresh air, as the Marlins would constantly trade off players or let them walk in free agency under the Jeff Loria regime. It was clear he didn’t care about winning. I believe the past of the former ownership truth is precisely why Marlins fans are so impatient now.
The fans had renewed faith in the franchise once Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter bought the team with their promises of building a winning and consistent ball club. However, it seems that was all lies as Jeter stepped down after saying the ball club wasn’t going to spend big money in free agency (for example, Miami did not go after Nick Castellanos). The clubs’ vision becomes unclear if they are trying to win right now or continue an endless rebuild.
I spoke to a man who works in the sports industry as a sales executive for the Houston Dynamo, Stefan Scheel, a die-hard Marlins fan his whole life. He was able to give me a quote that encapsulates how most fans feel:
“I think the roster construction is confusing; I can’t tell if we’re still trying to tank/rebuild or if we’re trying to compete. We have two all-star level players in Jazz and Sandy and some solid pieces like Pablo, but the rest of the squad is confusing. I hope we decide to compete, but I honestly can’t see what the vision was with the roster.”
What has Kim Ng done to build around the insanely good pitching core and budding superstar Jazz Chisholm Jr.? Absolutely nothing! She has this crazy infatuation with Orioles relief pitchers, acquiring three in the last year. Richard Bleier (5.59 ERA), Tanner Scott (4.22 ERA), and Cole Sulser (3.86 ERA) are all former Orioles and have a combined ERA of 4.56 over 74.2 innings pitched. It doesn’t take a baseball fan to know that these numbers are awful and have been a part of the fourth worst bullpen in all of baseball. Simply put, the bullpen is terrible. But, has Ng done anything to bolster the Marlin offense and the outfield? The answer won’t surprise you.
In the last couple of seasons, the biggest issue for the Marlins has been finding productivity in their outfield. After moving on from Adam Duvall and sending him to the Atlanta Braves, the Marlins signed a carbon copy of him in Jorge Soler to a 30 million dollar deal. Soler is the same type of player. Duval is an immense power hitter with low contact and average with the glove. So, why even make this move?
The Marlins have extremely talented Jesus Sanchez with future All-Star written all over him. In right field, the Marlins signed Avisail Garcia to replace Corey Dickerson. Once again, Miami replaced a player for another of the same skill level. Some would say Dickerson is a more consistent hitter and a better fielder. Not to mention that Garcia has been nothing but a scrub this year, but that’s what you should expect from a guy who’s most notably known for sleeping with Prince Fielder’s wife when he got called up to the big leagues. Do we want this guy in the locker room?
To recap, the Marlins signed a guy who won’t hit above .220 and a player past his prime who doesn’t appear to care in Soler and Garcia.
The Marlins offense and bullpen are both bottom tier of the league. Ng has to make some moves to secure the back end of the bullpen and some moves to gain more offensive firepower. She has all the tools to build a winning team. If she does nothing by the trade deadline, fans will be furious and demand a change in the front office.
P.S: Kim, please for the love of god, re-sign Brian Anderson to a long-term deal.