The Marlins announced the hiring of Peter Bendix as president of baseball operations on Monday morning. He becomes the first person to hold that title within the organization since Michael Hill from 2017-20, and the third in franchise history.

"It is an exciting day for the Marlins organization as we welcome Peter and his wife Lauren to Miami and introduce Peter as our president of baseball operations,¡± chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman said in a statement. ¡°Peter is an established industry leader with an extensive skillset and deep experience that will continue the momentum we have made on the Major League level, while also strategically building the foundation for sustained success through player acquisition, development and scouting at all levels. In addition to the extensive track record of winning with the Rays, Peter showcased leadership and culture-defining abilities that will have a tremendous impact on our organization.¡±

Bendix, 38, will oversee the entire baseball operations department in his role. He had been the senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager of the Rays since December 2021, assisting president of baseball ops Erik Neander with departmental oversight and an increased focus on Major League operations, such as player evaluation and procurement, roster management and the day-to-day functions of the MLB club. Bendix also oversaw the baseball systems group and worked closely with other departments to facilitate learning and development.

Tampa Bay's structure was in line with the recent industry trend of clubs placing both a president and GM atop the baseball operations department to manage the increasing big-picture and day-to-day demands of the job.

¡°It is a proud and exciting moment for me and Lauren, and I would like to thank Bruce for his confidence in entrusting me with such an important role,¡± Bendix said in a statement. ¡°I am eager to get to South Florida and to begin working with the talented and passionate people throughout the Marlins organization.¡±

A Tufts University graduate, Bendix came up on the analytics side, spending two straight years as an intern with the Rays, beginning in January 2009, before later receiving a promotion to assistant of baseball operations, coordinator of baseball research and development and director of baseball development. Before his most recent role, he spent six seasons leading the baseball development department and served as vice president of baseball development from 2020-21.

"The front office was very different back then," Bendix told reporters over Zoom in December 2021 following his promotion. "It was much, much smaller, and so I got to work on a lot of different things -- everything from the amateur draft to our fledgling R&D group to pro scouting and really everything in between. And I credit Andrew [Friedman] and Dan Feinstein and Erik and James [Click] and Chaim [Bloom] for being so willing to let an intern have his hands in so many different areas. It helped me grow. It helped me understand how I could provide value, what I was interested in. And they really supported me and allowed me to do a lot of different things that have helped me get to where I am today."

Bendix takes over for former general manager Kim Ng, who didn't exercise her side of a mutual contract option for 2024 because of differing visions on the future of the baseball operations department.

While the Marlins are coming off their first playoff berth in a full season in 20 years, the small-market Rays have made it to the postseason five straight seasons, with one World Series trip during that span. That type of sustainability stems in large part from Tampa Bay's farm system, which consistently ranks among the best in baseball. In MLB Pipeline's 2023 midseason rankings, the Rays were seventh; the Marlins were 24th.

Bendix becomes the latest Rays front-office alumnus to run his own baseball ops department, following Friedman, Click and Bloom, as other organizations try to emulate Tampa Bay's success.

¡°Peter has a great reputation within baseball and is committed to achieving sustained excellence in all areas of Baseball Operations,¡± Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said in a statement. ¡°I am looking forward to working alongside Peter to bring the Marlins back to the playoffs.¡±

It could be a busy offseason for Bendix, who inherits a club that will be without 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara (Tommy John surgery) and possibly All-Star designated hitter Jorge Soler (declined player option). There also are jobs to fill in the amateur and international scouting departments with the departures of DJ Svihlik and Adrian Lorenzo.

The Hot Stove season will continue to pick up during this week's GM Meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., where Bendix will be present.