3 Players the Miami Marlins Would Have to Pay Other Teams to Take

The Miami Marlins will likely be selling off some pieces between now and the MLB trade deadline, and they definitely have a handful of players that will genuinely interest other teams. However, the Marlins also have some guys that almost no one will want.

Sure, Miami will probably try to pawn these players off on another club before July 31, hoping to extract a low-level prospect or some cash in return, but the chances of the Marlins actually being able to get anything in exchange for them are slim.

Here are three players the Marlins themselves would probably have to pay other clubs in order to remove them from the roster.

Nick Fortes, C

You would be hard-pressed to find many more frustrating hitters than Nick Fortes over the last several seasons. He actually has been somewhat respectable at the plate this year, owning a .678 OPS, but last season, he slashed .227/.259/.318 over 335 plate appearances.

For some reason, Miami has insisted upon giving Fortes playing time for years running now. Yes, he is pretty good defensively, but we are not talking about Pudge Rodriguez here.

Perhaps there actually would be a team willing to employ Fortes as a backup catcher (I mean, Martin Maldonado and Austin Hedges have had regular jobs for years), but can the Marlins actually recoup anything in return for the 28-year-old? It doesn't seem likely.

Tyler Phillips, RP

Miami actually has multiple relief pitchers that should command considerable attention over the next several weeks. Tyler Phillips is not one of them.

While his 4.33 ERA looks okay, his 5.1 K/9 rate coupled with the fact that he has already allowed six home runs over 35.1 innings makes it pretty obvious that Phillips does not have the best stuff.

Heck, the 27-year-old owns a lifetime 1.310 WHIP in the minors, so you wouldn't expect him to produce all that much on the big-league level.

Teams are always looking for relievers in the middle of the summer, but with the Marlins owning desirable bullpen arms like Anthony Bender, Ronny Henriquez and maybe even Calvin Faucher, it's hard to imagine anyone genuinely wanting Phillips.

Eric Wagaman, 1B/OF

That brings us to Eric Wagaman, who has done essentially nothing well in 2025. The man has a negative-0.5 WAR, and we aren't even halfway into the season yet.

Wagaman is slashing .249/.291/.365 with four home runs and 25 RBI over 261 plate appearances. Three of those homers came between March and April.

The Marlins have played the 27-year-old at both first base and the outfield, and he has managed to be a minus-defender at both spots.

There is honestly nothing that Wagaman can offer a contender at this point. He doesn't have genuine power, he doesn't take pitches, he isn't athletic and he isn't good defensively.

If anything, the former New York Yankees farmhand seems like a very obvious DFA candidate at some point this summer.

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