In a division responsible for three playoff teams this year, it’s highly unlikely that the other two will be able to experience much success.

Enter the Miami Marlins.

While the Marlins haven’t had a strong full season since the earlier half of the 2000s, some had hoped to see the Marlins compete into this season based on successes in the shortened 2020 season and a highly productive 2021-2022 offseason.

The Marlins spent their offseason bringing big names to the team, including signing outfielders Avisaíl García and Jorge Soler to high-value free agent contracts. Along with these, the team traded for Pirates’ 2021 Gold Glove award-winning catcher Jacob Stallings, meaning their defense was also getting a significant boost.

While these additions were significant, the most impressive aspect of the Marlins’ offseason was the resigning of Sandy Alcantara, a right-handed pitcher who agreed to a 5-year deal worth $56 million, and showed promise for being one of the league’s top pitchers.

Despite all of this promise, the Marlins left many still without much hope.

Based on the preseason rankings conducted by ESPN, the Marlins were going to disappoint once again, with a 77-85 record, which would leave them in fourth place in the NL East once again.

Unfortunately for the Marlins, these predictions looked optimistic as the season progressed.

By the end of their first month of play, the Marlins were 12-8 after a few divisional series against the Phillies and Nationals. By May’s conclusion, however, the team was at a less impressive 19-27 mark.

As the Trade Deadline approached in early August, the Marlins held a 47-55 record, and had no real chance of overtaking the Mets, Braves, or Phillies for the division title or Wild Card playoff series.

With this, many anticipated the Marlins to sell their more incentivizing pieces. However, the only move the Marlins actually made featured sending relievers Zach Pop and Anthony Bass to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for infield prospect Jordan Groshans.

As this silent deadline would leave many to believe, the Marlins’ conclusion to the season was as disappointing as the rest of the season, with the team going 22-38 to round out their year.

As the Miami Marlins enter the 2022-2023 offseason, they have one of the best pitchers in the MLB in Sandy Alcantara, along with other solid starting pitchers. Their offense, while still struggling, has promise to perform at a high level, if everything goes right.

With the 16th ranked minor-league system entering the offseason, constructing a large trade deal centered around a starting pitcher could be in the Marlins’ best interest, and might just be the push they need to enter the Wild Card conversation.