What Does the Team Need to Contend for a Playoff Spot?

[Erick]

After signing a solid pitcher like Chen and adding Johnson to platoon with Bour, can the team be competitive next year? The Phillies/Braves are terrible.

The Mets pitching is obviously top notch, but their offense seems questionable, as well as their middle relief. The Nats look like the best overall team to me on paper, but they underachieved last year.

Can the team compete for a playoff spot if healthy? On the field, they seem to be at least above average at every position.

[Nick]

I don't think anyone questions that we can. The problem is we have 0 depth so every single thing has to go right.

[rmc523]

I don't think anyone questions that we can. The problem is we have 0 depth so every single thing has to go right.

As is the story every year.

---

More pitching help, mainly the rotation.....and don't trade Ozuna. We don't need to create a hole in the lineup to plug a hole in the rotation.

[Namaste]

Team is one Fernandez/Chen/Stanton/Gordon injury away from a 75 win season

[lou]

They need to sign someone like Kennedy, Gallardo, maybe Fister, to bump Nicolino/Urena/Phelps/E. Jackson from the rotation, then hope the 2014 outfield and 2015 infield shows up with no major debilitating injuries to the core guys.

But can't hate on Chen. I think they are close, but they need the 1 more good player on paper and then to magically develop depth and hope for good bench contributions from Dietrich, Johnson, Rojas, etc.

[Bobbob1313]

you mean, beyond Andrew Heaney and Carlos Rodon?

That really is the long and short of it. They need one more high-upside starting pitcher.

[lou]

you mean, beyond Andrew Heaney and Carlos Rodon?

That really is the long and short of it. They need one more high-upside starting pitcher.

Rodon is certainly the answer on paper. What a mistake. Hopefully it becomes as irrelevant as Skipworth versus Smoak versus Beckham though. The later two are better, but they all are inconsequential so I'm not as mad as I could be in hindsight. Guess we'll see about Kolek versus Rodon (versus Nola?).

[Bobbob1313]

i'd be a little bit surprised if kolek throws more innings in the majors than rodon did last season

[marlinsfan24]

Fangraphs has the Marlins at ~81-82 wins right now. http://www.fangraphs.com/depthcharts...=ALL&teamid=20

[dim]

I think Doug Fister would be a decent grab. Throw a 1 year deal with decent money and good incentives on a guy who was coming off four straight quality seasons. Seems like a guy who has mostly been lost in this market but has big potential to be a game changer for a playoff team. Not saying that about us, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Fister at the #3 spot and pushing Jackson to #4 than the current rotation setup.

I'm honestly done talking about the Heaney/Rodon decisions. They're in the past and we can't change them. There are ways to make the team competitive next season, even if it would be a much longer shot than it should've been this past year.

The lineup should be more or less league average with injuries happening and replacements taken from random places throughout the year. The rotation will ultimately make or break our season, and the backup options to Fernandez/Chen/Jackson/Koehler/Nicolino being Urena/Flores/Conley are a bit frightening. While I actually would trust Nicolino to get regular starts from the start, there's obviously some big bust factors with the way he pitches and I don't see guys like Urena, Flores, or Conley being ready to even taken on the #5 spot in a rotation just yet (I'd feel good with Conley opening the season as the team's long reliever).

[Nick]

Is Jackson expected to be a starter for us?

[rmc523]

Is Jackson expected to be a starter for us?

I think the thought now is yes, unless we get someone else that would push him to the bullpen. Is that what everyone else understands too? At least that's the impression I've gotten from what I've read.

[Swifty]

They needed two SP's a righty platoon mate for Bour and another bench bat. So far they've gotten one SP and the platoon guy. Need another SP and a bench bat.

Gallardo would be a good fit. Then deal Koehler for a guy that can mash and play the corners.

- - - - - - - - - -

Jose/Chen/Gallardo/Cosart/Conley-Urena-Jax is a NL playoff rotation. Maybe not a division winner, but 85-88 wins assuming they boost the bench.

[marlinsfan24]

I'd like to see this rotation to start the season:

Fernandez
Chen
Fister
Cosart
Conley

Fister would be an amazing one year stop gap guy, Cosart needs to have prove himself next season with arbitration coming up, and I really liked what I saw from Conley last season. I think Koehler and Phelps are better served out of the bullpen.

[tjfla]

Is Jackson expected to be a starter for us?

As of today,#5 starter but the feeling is they would prefer him the pen.

They still have offers out for Fister,Lee,Masterson so if they get 1 of them he will probably get pushed down