The Marlins designated a first baseman Christopher Morel by share, according to many songwriters. The move creates a vacancy in both the 26-man and 40-man squads The Griffin Conineactivated on the 60-day injured list.
After signing a $2MM free agent deal with Miami during the offseason, Morel’s time with Fish got off to a rocky start when he struggled before Opening Day. His season debut didn’t come until April 28, and Morel then hit a measly .162/.219/.206 over 73 plate appearances. Morel struck out 28 times in those 73 PAs, resulting in a 38.4% strikeout rate that was worse than the 35.7% number he posted with the Rays in 2025.
There have always been swings and misses in Morel’s game, yet he has managed to balance those whiffs with some power in the past. Morel hit .247/.313/.508 with 26 home runs over 429 PA with the Cubs in 2023, but while he homered 21 times in 2024 again, his hitting numbers dipped. Over 989 PA with the Cubs, Rays, and Marlins since Opening Day 2024, Morel has hit just .201/.283/.351.
Tampa Bay was non-tendered last fall instead of paying him a projected $2.6MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The Marlins checked in to see if Morel could rehabilitate his bat in south Florida, but the $2MM signing now looks like a bust.
Suing Morel for a waiver would mean the new team would pick up the remainder of his salary, so a little over $1MM. Although not a huge sum, Morel has shown so little this season that any interested clubs may pay even that small fee, as the promise of his 2023 season has faded into the past. Morel also doesn’t bring much more than hitting power, as while he’s ranked at seven different positions in the majors, he’s been a poor all-around defender and may only be a first baseman at this stage of his career.
Because Morel has more than three years of MLB service, he can decline the direct assignment in favor of a free agent offer if he clears waivers. Doing so would forfeit the $1MMish sum still guaranteed to Morel by the Marlins, however, so Morel opted to accept an outright assignment to maintain his seven-figure payday. If the Marlins released Morel entirely after the release, Miami would still owe the remainder of his salary, minus the MLB minimum that would be paid by the new team any time Morel spends on their roster through 2026.
Only four teams got less first base in 2026 than the Marlins, in addition to Morel’s struggles, Connor Norby, Kyle Stowersagain Liam Hicks and they didn’t do much when playing in the cold corner. Hicks has hit well in general, but his time at first base has been limited as he has also been a DH and taking on a portion of the catcher duties. Joe Mack.
With the 39-38 Marlins in the wild-card race, first base is a logical spot for the Fish to target at the trade deadline if they remain in contention. If you look inside, Conine may enter this position since he played his first league game as a starting midfielder earlier this season, although the situation like this is that Conine will return to the normal work on the outside.
Conine played in just 11 games before suffering a torn hamstring that required surgery. After hitting .261/.320/.435 in his first 175 MLB plate appearances in 2024-25, Conine entered the year looking to establish himself in Miami’s lineup after shoulder surgery sidelined him for most of the 2025 campaign. Hamstring surgery provided another setback for Conine, and ended a hot start that saw the outfielder post a .951 OPS over his first 25 PA of 2026.
