Sep 25, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Eury Perez (39) celebrates with catcher Joe Mack (80) after throwing a complete game against the Atlanta Braves at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Sam Navarro
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A Miami Marlins season that had so much promise midway through the campaign ended like almost every other one that has preceded it in franchise history: With a losing record and a missed trip to the playoffs.
Miami beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3 in its season finale on Sunday at loanDepot park. The Marlins overall went 80-82 — a one-win improvement over last season but still eight games out of contention for a bid to the postseason.
They showed plenty of bright spots throughout the season that indicate the club’s potential but once again showed just how far they have left to go if they want to be a contender.
“We took a step forward,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame Sunday. “It wasn’t a big enough step this year to play beyond [the regular season], but looking from last year all the way through this year, I think we have taken some really encouraging steps forward. We’re just going to have to continue to take another step forward next year.”
What went right
Winning at home: The Marlins went 47-34 at home this season. It was the most home wins in a season for the Marlins since moving to loanDepot park in 2012 and the fourth-most wins ever at home in a season for the club behind 2003 (53-28), 1997 (52-29) and 1996 (52-29).
Emergence of Joe Mack, among other young players: The Marlins’ catcher of the future became the catcher of the present, as Mack put together a solid rookie campaign. Mack was a defensive stalwart, throwing out 26 baserunners and being credited with nine defensive runs saved by FanGraphs. He also finished the season hitting .234 with a .685 on-base-plus-slugging mark, 14 home runs, 52 RBI and 40 runs scored.
Mack was one of several young position players to showcase they could have a long-term future with the team. Heriberto Hernandez had a team-leading 25 home runs as a power hitting corner outfielder. Griffin Conine hit 19 homers of his own after missing significant time with injury to start the season. Shortstop Otto Lopez became a first-time All-Star and finished the season with a .305 batting average that ranked third in the National League. And utility player Javier Sanoja hit .295 with 11 home runs and 69 RBI and had a stretch of 24 consecutive games reaching base before Sunday.
Sandy Alcantara’s return to form and Eury Perez’s growth: Alcantara, long Miami’s ace, set multiple franchise records while finally looking again like the pitcher who won a Cy Young in 2022 before undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the 2024 season. Alcantara led MLB with 214 innings and was tied for third with 21 quality starts and even picked up three saves over the final two weeks of the season, including a scoreless ninth inning on Sunday to cap Miami’s season.
“It means a lot to me,” Alcantara said. “I’m very happy to myself, and I just want to do everything that I can to make this team win games with the way that we’ve been fighting since day one.”
Perez, meanwhile, set career highs for starts (29), appearances (30), innings pitched (159) and strikeouts (170) as he maneuvered through his first full MLB season. He had 11 quality starts, including throwing a one-hit shutout on Friday and tossing seven perfect innings against the Athletics on July 5.
What went wrong
The momentum-killing losing streak: At the end of games played July 9, the Marlins were 10 games over .500 at 52-42, a half-game back of the National League’s top wild card spot and only three games back of the Braves for the NL East lead. They seemed to be surefire buyers at the trade deadline that was less than one month away.
And then Miami had the worst losing streak in franchise history. They dropped 12 consecutive games to fall to two games under .500 at 52-54. They were conservative at the trade deadline and never fully recovered from that freefall, playing .500 ball the rest of the way (28-28 over the final 56 games).
“It’s tough to come back from 12 straight,” Conine said.
All the pitching injuries: While Alcantara and Perez paced the pitching staff, Miami simply ran out of quality arms by the end of the season. Max Meyer, who was a first-time All-Star, made just one start in the second half before being sidelined the rest of the year with a neck injury. Top pitching prospect Robby Snelling underwent UCL surgery in his left arm after making his MLB debut. And three of Miami’s top high-leverage relievers — closer Pete Fairbanks, Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi — ended the season on the injured list. A fourth in Tyler Phillips was converted to a starting pitcher, further depleting the bullpen’s depth.
Lack of production from free agents: Fairbanks was the only Marlins free agent signing this offseason that finished the season with the team. While Fairbanks had 19 saves in 23 opportunities, he had a 6.31 ERA over 41 1/3 innings and only made 46 appearances. He went on the injured list three separate times due to nerve issues, ultimately ending the year with the announcement that he will have to undergo surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.
Miami’s other free agent signings — pitchers Chris Paddack and John King, plus infielder Christopher Morel and outfielder Austin Slater — were designated for assignment during the season.
Miami has shown it can find diamonds in the rough and maximize talent of lesser-known players. But the Marlins need to hit on their bigger acquisitions — and spend more in the process — to round out the roster.
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Miami Herald
Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.