{"id":1935,"date":"2016-11-16T01:52:23","date_gmt":"2016-11-16T06:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=1935"},"modified":"2016-11-16T01:52:23","modified_gmt":"2016-11-16T06:52:23","slug":"miami-marlins-2016-offseason-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2016\/11\/16\/miami-marlins-2016-offseason-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Marlins 2016 Offseason Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Miami Marlins<\/strong> have begun to slowly move past the sudden loss of their beloved former ace,\u00a0Jose Fernandez<\/a><\/strong>, who died tragically in a boating accident on September 25. There’s no way of replacing Fernandez, on or off the field. The Marlins aren’t in a position to\u00a0orchestrate a trade or look to their minor league system for the next Jose. But if the Marlins expect to compete next season, then they’ll have to explore every avenue they can in hopes of improving their starting pitching.<\/p>\n

Miami Marlins 2016 Offseason Needs<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Marlins will head into next season with a young and talented lineup that has the potential to be even better than it was in 2016. First-year manager\u00a0Don Mattingly<\/a><\/strong> brought some much needed experience, as well as a higher degree of professionalism to Miami’s dugout. Both\u00a0had been sorely lacking.<\/p>\n

In 2016, the Miami Marlins finally made some sound baseball decisions. The re-signing of third baseman\u00a0Martin Prado<\/a><\/strong> and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki<\/a><\/strong> shows that hasn’t changed. If that didn’t sway anyone, then the firing of the all-time home run leader, and their batting coach,\u00a0Barry Bonds<\/a><\/strong>, certainly did.<\/p>\n

Jeffrey Loria<\/strong> made the decision to hire Bonds\u00a0last season. But Bonds did little to live up to Mattingly’s expectations. His lack of a work ethic and unwillingness to put in the extra hours with the team’s young hitters didn’t jive with Mattingly’s new direction. The fact none of the Marlins hitters seemed to thank him or wish him well after he was relieved of his duties validated the parting.<\/p>\n

Reinforce the Pitching Staff<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mattingly will have bigger problems facing him heading this offseason\u00a0than who his hitting coach is. Who’s going to be the new leader in his pitching staff? It’s a question Mattingly would most likely be asking even if Fernandez didn’t pass away suddenly. Before his untimely death, he was the subject of numerous trade rumors involving the Boston Red Sox<\/strong>, New York Yankees<\/strong>, and even the World Series<\/strong>\u00a0champion\u00a0Chicago Cubs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

However, with the loss of Fernandez, the Marlins will be forced spend more money in free-agency than in years past, as Miami’s team president David Samson<\/b> alluded to, per a story by\u00a0Joe Frisaro<\/strong> of MLB.com<\/strong>. The Marlins payroll will have to increase out of necessity, with starting pitching being the focal point of their offseason plans.<\/p>\n

According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts<\/strong>, Miami’s 2016 Opening Day<\/strong> payroll was $74,364,500. Given the Marlins current predicament, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to see their payroll jump to around $90 million in 2017. It will be difficult for Miami to not exceed the $90 million range, specially if it\u00a0intends to keep all the players who are currently under contract for next year\u00a0and the half-dozen players who are in arbitration.<\/p>\n

The six signed players for the Marlins in 2017 are\u00a0Giancarlo Stanton<\/a><\/strong> ($7.5 million), Prado ($11.5 million),\u00a0Dee Gordon<\/a><\/strong> ($7.5 million),\u00a0Wei-Yin Chen<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>($9 million),\u00a0Christian Yelich<\/a><\/strong> ($3.5 million), and Ichiro ($2 million). They combine for a total of $48 million. The six players who are eligible for arbitration are\u00a0A.J. Ramos<\/a><\/strong>, Marcell Ozuna<\/a><\/strong>, David Phelps<\/a><\/strong>, Adeiny Hechavarria<\/a><\/strong>, Derek<\/a> Dietrich<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Tom Koehler<\/a><\/strong>. According to\u00a0MLB Trade Rumors<\/strong> projections, the combined salaries of the arbitration-eligible players would be $28.3 million. The total amount for all twelve players is $76.3 million.<\/p>\n

This means that the Marlins could not only afford just one arm, but two. They could even lure a\u00a0big-name pitcher who might help ease the burden of losing their beloved ace. As of right now, the name\u00a0most often associated with the Marlins is\u00a0Rich Hill<\/a><\/strong>. But don’t be surprised if Miami is working behind the scenes to acquire other top\u00a0pitchers who aren’t free agents.<\/p>\n

For the Miami Marlins to compete in 2017, the organization has to take a big step forward. They already have a lineup that is better than that of most\u00a0National League<\/strong> teams. They must, however,\u00a0improve their pitching staff. If they can’t or don’t, it could be a disappointing season in which they find themselves out of the playoff hunt before the halfway point. If that happens to the Marlins, who have money to spend, then many fans will not only be disappointed, but will\u00a0wonder why the front office and ownership\u00a0did nothing to improve their situation.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n