A Complete Timeline of the Miami Marlins' Embarrassing Roster Teardown

From Luis Arráez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. to Jake Burger and Jesús Luzardo, the Miami Marlins were not afraid to trade away All-Stars and lineup regulars in 2024.

Jul 12, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Miami Marlins outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2) during the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

When the Miami Marlins snuck into the 2023 postseason, it seemed like maybe the franchise could be on the upswing.

It didn't take long for that hope to dissipate completely.

The Marlins' swift exit from the NL Wild Card Series was expected, considering the Philadelphia Phillies were one of the favorites to win the World Series. The first major domino actually fell two weeks later.

Kim Ng stepped away as Miami's general manager after ownership proposed hiring a president of baseball operations above her. Three years after her groundbreaking arrival, Ng's tenure was done and the Marlins' front office went through a total rebuild.

With Peter Bendix suddenly at the wheel, the Marlins didn't waste any time letting their playoff team fall apart. They didn't make designated hitter Jorge Soler a qualifying offer coming off an All-Star appearance, and he left to join the San Francisco Giants in free agency.

Reliever Matt Barnes, reliever David Robertson, infielder Joey Wendle, first baseman Yuli Gurriel and starting pitcher Johnny Cueto left as free agents as well, all while Miami non-tendered catcher Jacob Stallings and utility man Garrett Hampson. It took until late February for the team to sign its first notable free agent – shortstop Tim Anderson, who wound up getting designated for assignment in July.

One month into the regular season, the Marlins traded back-to-back batting champion Luis Arráez to the San Diego Padres. Arráez went on to win his third straight batting title in San Diego, reaching the NLDS with his new team.

Miami was sitting at 33-63 at the All-Star break, dead last in the National League. That's when the fire sale really started.

Reliever A.J Puk got dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 25. Two days later, up-and-coming All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. was shipped to the New York Yankees.

On deadline day alone, the Marlins traded reliever JT Chargois to the Seattle Mariners, first baseman Josh Bell to the Diamondbacks, All-Star closer Tanner Scott and reliever Bryan Hoeing to the Padres, outfielder Bryan De La Cruz to the Pittsburgh Pirates and All-Star starting pitcher Trevor Rogers to the Baltimore Orioles.

A handful of solid prospects came back to Miami amid all the chaos – namely second baseman Connor Norby, outfielder Kyle Stowers, catcher Agustin Ramirez and slugger Deyvison De Los Santos – but it was still a gutting week of departures.

When the offseason rolled around, the Marlins got right back to dealing, sending infielder Jake Burger to the Texas Rangers and starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Marlins are not completely devoid of talent. Xavier Edwards, Otto Lopez and Jonah Bride strung together impressive second halves at the plate, while Ryan Weathers and Valente Bellozo showed promise in the rotation.

Former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcántara is poised to return from Tommy John surgery, while Eury Pérez and Braxton Garrett are looking to bounce back from injuries and round out the rotation alongside some combination of Edward Cabrera, Max Meyer and Adam Mazur.

And yet, the Marlins' lack of star power and refusal to commit to any player long term is embarrassing. Shedding Luzardo's arbitration dollars can be excused in a purely financial sense, but trading away Burger with four years of control and a six-figure salary nonsensical.

Outside of Alcantara, Miami's next highest-paid player in 2025 is projected to be outfielder Jesús Sánchez, who probably won't make much more than $3 million in arbitration. That isn't including Giancarlo Stanton, who the Marlins are paying $10 million to play for the Yankees.

Miami does not have a single dollar committed to anyone other than Alcantara beyond this season, and their ace only has three years left on his contract.

The Marlins' $60 million projected payroll this coming season is less than the Tampa Bay Rays' $74 million and right in line with the notoriously cheap Athletics' $58 million, but at least the A's have been willing to go out and add proven talent this winter. Bruce Sherman has one of the lowest net worths of all MLB owners at roughly $500 million, so while it makes sense he isn't going blow-for-blow with Steve Cohen, he doesn't appear keen on spending much on fielding a competent team in Miami.

And while it might be a bit of a reach, it isn't out of the question that the 2025 Marlins could challenge the 2024 White Sox's recently-broken record for worst record in the modern era at 41-121. That's quite the fall from grace from a playoff berth in 2023, but it makes sense given the exodus of talent over the past 13 months.

26 down, 9 to go pic.twitter.com/dFUUGNe2j3

— Alex Ferrer (@PastyA_) December 22, 2024

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