Marlins owner: I expect to make playoffs in 2023
Miami Marlins owner Bruce Sherman is nothing if not confident.
Sherman has high hopes for the Marlins, who he's expecting will not only compete for a postseason spot in 2023 but play October baseball for just the fourth time in franchise history.
"My expectation is to be in the playoffs," Sherman told reporters shortly after addressing the team, according to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. "Why do you do this? There's no other reason to do this other than make the playoffs and take it all the way. We have the pitching to do that. Nobody wants to face our staff in a short series."
The Marlins were busy for a second straight offseason. Their biggest acquisitions were last year's AL batting champion Luis Arraez and veteran third baseman Jean Segura, who together will try to help boost what's been a struggling offense in recent seasons. The infield reshuffling with Arraez and Segura also bumped All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. to center field, a position he's never played before.
Pitching, as Sherman mentioned, remains the Marlins' strength. Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara gives the team a legitimate chance every five days, and free-agent addition Johnny Cueto adds some veteran savvy behind him. Left-hander Jesus Luzardo will also be counted on to continue his growth after rebounding nicely in 2022. The bullpen was also boosted through the acquisitions of Matt Barnes and A.J. Puk, among others.
Still, it won't be an easy road to October for the Marlins and first-year manager Skip Schumaker. Miami has lost 90 games in each of the last four 162-game campaigns, a streak interrupted only by a 31-29 record in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. While the balanced schedule could help its cause, the team still has to play more games against NL East powers in the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Mets.
The Marlins have made the postseason once under Sherman's watch, squeaking into the dance in 2020 and even managing to win a round. But that run was clouded by the empty seats and neutral-site games of the pandemic season. For Sherman, it still feels like the franchise hasn't really been there since its World Series run 20 years ago.
"I've been doing this for about six years," Sherman said. "I went to the playoffs one year with no fans there. It wasn't fun. I want to go to the playoffs with fans screaming in attendance. ... And everybody in that room wants to win."