Miami comes to terms with all 5 of its arb-eligible players
MIAMI -- The Marlins reached 2025 contract agreements with all five of their arbitration-eligible players -- right-handers Anthony Bender and Edward Cabrera, catcher Nick Fortes, left-hander Braxton Garrett and outfielder Jes¨²s S¨¢nchez -- ahead of Thursday¡¯s 1 p.m. ET deadline to exchange figures.
Both Bender and S¨¢nchez were in their second year of arbitration, while Cabrera, Garrett and Fortes were in their first as Super Twos.
With these agreements, the terms of which have not been announced, Miami has come to terms on 2025 salary figures for all of the players on its 40-man roster.
Bender, who turns 30 on Feb. 3, tossed 53 innings across 59 appearances in his return from August 2022 Tommy John surgery. After some first-month struggles, he compiled a 2.85 ERA and a 3.02 FIP over his final 46 outings as a reliable late-inning option.
S¨¢nchez, who turned 27 on Oct. 7, is the longest-tenured position player on the club. He had a 97 OPS+ while setting career highs for runs (60), hits (123), doubles (25), homers (18), RBIs (64), steals (16) and games (149) this past season. His 480-foot home run was the longest in the Majors in 2024. For much of the second half of the season, the left-handed hitter tried to prove that he could be more than a platoon player.
Injuries and command once again slowed Cabrera, who turns 27 on April 13. Over his final 12 starts, however, he posted a 3.69 ERA and a .627 OPS against. With Garrett out for the season (elbow surgery) and Jes¨²s Luzardo traded, Miami will be leaning on Cabrera even more to fill the void in the rotation.
Fortes, who turned 28 on Nov. 11, is the projected starter behind the dish. He was tied for sixth among Major League catchers with five Defensive Runs Saved (min. 850 innings). After a tough first half at the plate (.466 OPS), he found his swing after the All-Star break (.737). Rule 5 Draft selection Liam Hicks, MLB Pipeline's No. 96 overall prospect Agustin Ramirez and Minor League journeyman Jhonny Pereda also will be vying for playing time.