Marlins Option Best Major League Starter to AAA Jacksonville

The Miami Marlins have sent one of their best young pitchers to Jacksonville to make room for Edward Cabrera

Miami Marlins pitcher Max Meyer has the lowest ERA of any Marlins starter in 2024, but is being sent down to AAA Jacksonville / Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins needed to make room to activate starter Edward Cabrera, and they way they've chosen to do it is a bit of a headscratcher:

The Marlins have optioned starter Max Meyer to AAA Jacksonville.

Yes, THAT Max Meyer. The one that shut down the Atlanta Braves on Saturday en route to a 5-1 Marlins win, their only win of the series.

The same Max Meyer that leads all Marlins starters in ERA (2.12), wins (two), winning percentage (1.000%), walk rate (1.6 BB/9), ERA+ (214) and WAR (0.9).

Make it make sense.

Yes, I'm sure general manager Peter Bendix will point to the need to monitor the 25-year-old's workload this season, as he's returning from Tommy John surgery and hasn't pitched in competitive action since 2022. There's a legitimate argument to be made that he needs to have his innings and pitch counts safeguarded, to avoid a heavy workload causing an injury.

But optioning him in April?

Eury Pérez was in a similar situation last season - called up in early May at only twenty years old, the team was trying to be cautious with him and the workload on his dynamic right arm last year. They held him to an average of only 4.8 innings per start and optioned him down to AAA Jacksonville in early July, keeping him in the minors for just over one month before he returned to the majors.

And it didn't even work, as he got hurt anyway - Pérez, who complained of elbow discomfort this spring, had Tommy John surgery two weeks ago and is out until sometime in mid-2025.

So what is this, really?

Let's be clear here: This is Peter Bendix and the front office admitting that they're fine losing. It's a bit of a taboo word in baseball, but this is tanking.

Because if you look at this from a purely baseball standpoint, there are better options than optioning Max Meyer - A.J. Puk's conversion to starting has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster. Moving him back to the bullpen is the best move to make from a competitiveness standpoint. (And if you need a spot in the bullpen to put Puk...well, Sixto Sanchez is rocking an 8.44 ERA with more runs allowed, seven, than innings pitched in 2024, only five and a third.)

I'm really curious to see what exactly Peter Bendix says when the media asks him about it...but don't be surprised if it's just some nonsense about workload concerns and protecting his health, to hide the true reason.

"Project Fish Tank" is well underway.