Many teams had a memorable offseason, including the Fish down in Miami. The only negative aspect to their time down in San Diego for the Winter Meetings was losing top pitching prospect, Andrew Heaney. The additions gave the Marlins one of the better teams on paper after Dee Gordon, Martin Prado, Michael Morse, Ichiro, Mat Latos, and Dan Haren all put on Marlins’ jerseys. With manager, Mike Redmond leading the charge, the Marlins were one of the favorites to get an NL Wild Card spot. Now, almost half way into the 2015 campaign, Miami is 15 games under .500, so hopes of being that pre-season team on paper are not so high anymore. But, during a 7-1 loss against the Dodgers on Friday night, Giancarlo Stanton left the game with a fractured wrist. Not only are the Marlins 15 games under .500, but also have now lost arguably the best player in the game, for 4-6 weeks.
On May 17, Marlins’ GM, Dan Jennings, fired Mike Redmond, and took aver as interim manager himself. Occasionally when a team builds a contender on paper, it doesn’t work out in the regular season, so the front office either waits too long with patience for a turn around, or the GM gets on his feet and guts the current plan. Now with Stanton out, the all-star break around the corner, and the team not in sites for the wild card, why not now be the time to alter the plan.
Newly found star, Dee Gordon, is under contract for a couple more years, Jose Fernandez will be as good ad new in 2016, as well as Henderson Alvarez, Martin Prado, and Michael Morse, so with all of these injuries, all they can do is wait it out. With many stars under contract like Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, and Adeiny Hechavarria, along with an abundance of free agent starting pitching available after this season, the Marlins can have a bit of a makeover.
With Jennings as the interim manager, it gives him a great insight of the team, not just from the front office. So, when the trade deadline comes around or free agency, Jennings will have the best idea for what his team needs. The key right now is for Jennings to map out a new course for the Marlins.
After a rough start, and a downfall of injuries, the Fish need to except that this won’t be an 85+ win season. Jennings will either make a few moves at the deadline or just asses the situation for the Winter. There are many great managers out of the market that can be a major lead for this young Marlins’ team, like Bud Black; who would make a great fit for the Marlins. With a solid offensive lineup, and Stanton leading the way, a great pitching mind in a manager could make all the difference. The Miami Marlins are 15 games under .500 with key injuries and no real manager; Jennings, along with the fan base, need to except that 2015 is over, but the trade deadline and offseason is the makeup store.
