The Miami Marlins have been the best team in baseball since June, as they have gone 24-8 over their last 32 games and are now 50-42 on the season.
Not only do the Marlins currently hold a Wild Card spot, but they are also just three games behind the Atlanta Braves (four in the loss column) for first place in the NL East.
Miami at 26-34 entering the month of June, and just about everyone had the Marlins pegged as sure-fire trade deadline sellers at the time. But things have certainly changed.
At this point, Miami will almost certainly become a buyer before Aug. 3, and while the Fish are not known for being spendthrift, they may decide to get aggressive with a playoff berth in view.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic has tabbed the Marlins as buyers in the coming weeks, and he has them targeting Minnesota Twins infielder Royce Lewis.
“The Twins are desperate for pitching upgrades and would have to consider dangling Lewis at this point. He only makes $2.85 million and would fit in Miami’s challenging budget,” Bowden wrote.
A former No. 1 overall pick, Lewis has not materialized on the big-league level.
The 27-year-old had an impressive rookie campaign in 2023, slashing .309/.372/.548 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI over 239 plate appearances. Since then, though Lewis’ production has fallen off a cliff.
While the California native posted a respectable .747 OPS across 325 trips to the dish in 2024, he slashed just .237/.283/.388 last season, and thus far in 2026, Lewis owns a .675 OPS.
Lewis has split time between first base and the hot corner this season, and while the Marlins have been experimenting with Kyle Stowers at first base, they could absolutely use another player at the position.
Of course, Miami probably wouldn’t want to surrender substantial prospect capital for Lewis, who wouldn’t provide a ton of offense given his .217 batting average. Or perhaps a change of scenery would do him some good?
The Marlins would probably be better off going after a more established power bat to bolster a lineup that is certainly impressive, but lacks elite pop.
