How Anderson signing impacts roster construction. And Marlins to watch as spring games start

The signing of shortstop Tim Anderson, which is still pending a physical, provides a little bit of clarity as to how the Miami Marlins could construct their Opening Day roster.

Assuming everyone is healthy for the start of spring training and the Marlins don’t make any other moves, the following position players appear to be locks to make the Opening Day roster when the season begins on March 28: catchers Nick Fortes and Christian Bethancourt, first baseman Josh Bell, second baseman Luis Arraez, shortstop Anderson, third baseman Jake Burger, utility player Jon Berti, and outfielders Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jesus Sanchez, Bryan De La Cruz and Avisail Garcia.

That’s 11 of 13 position-player spots filled already.

So who gets the final two spots? It depends on what the Marlins want from the position.

If the Marlins want a true backup first baseman, non-roster invitee Trey Mancini makes the most sense for one of the two spots. If they don’t go that route, Arraez and Burger are the most logical candidates to back up Bell at first.

The other two that make the most sense logically are offseason acquisitions Nick Gordon and Vidal Brujan because both are out of minor-league options. Both provide versatility but in different ways. Gordon will most likely spend the majority of his time in the outfield while being available to play second base and shortstop. Brujan is primarily a utility infielder — similar to the role Berti is already occupying.

Xavier Edwards is also an option, but the Marlins have flexibility with him because he can be optioned to the minor leagues.

Players to watch in spring games

Spring training games are about to begin. The Marlins open their 30-game Grapefruit League schedule on Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals, with first pitch from Jupiter’s Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

While the big names are the ones that generally get the most attention, there are a few players — either prospects who have yet to make their MLB debut, veterans with the team as non-roster invitees or players with something to prove — that the Marlins will be keeping a close eye on as they get into game action.

Here are five of those players.

▪ Mancini: Mancini is a seven-year MLB veteran who is capable of playing first base and be a candidate for starts at designated hitter — similar to the role Yuli Gurriel held for the team last season.

Mancini is a career .263 hitter with a .775 on-base-plus-slugging mark, 129 home runs, 156 doubles, 400 RBI and 407 runs scored through 831 games but has struggled at the plate over the past year and a half.

Trey Mancini’s story is one worth telling. He hopes the next chapter is with the Marlins

▪ First baseman Troy Johnston: Johnston is arguably the most MLB-ready position player prospect in the Marlins’ system.

Johnston led all of minor-league baseball in 2023 with 116 RBI while also hitting .307 with a .948 OPS, 26 home runs, 102 runs scored and 24 stolen bases through 134 games split between Double A Pensacola (83 games) and Triple A Jacksonville (51 games). He safely reached base in 46 of his 51 games played with Jacksonville.

▪ Catcher Curt Casali: Casali, 35, is a 10-year MLB veteran who has played for the Tampa Bay Rays (2014-2017), Cincinnati Reds (2018-2020; 2023), San Francisco Giants (2021-2022) and Seattle Mariners (2022). In 502 career games, he has a .220 batting average, .694 on-base-plus-slugging mark, 154 RBI, 47 home runs, 58 doubles and 145 runs scored.

Defensively, Casali been above-average behind the plate, with 19 career defensive runs saved according to FanGraphs. This includes being in the positive in five of the past seven seasons in which he caught at least 200 innings.

▪ Left-handed pitcher Josh Simpson: Both manager Skip Schumaker and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. have singled out the 26-year-old reliever as a player they are looking forward to seeing in a live setting. Simpson has not made his MLB debut yet but did travel with the club for their road series against the Milwaukee Brewers in September. The Marlins have an opening for a left-handed reliever in their bullpen after they traded Steven Okert to the Minnesota Twins for Gordon plus the fact that they’re planning to stretch A.J. Puk out to potentially be a starter.

▪ Right-handed pitcher Sixto Sanchez: It’s now or never for Sanchez, the one-time highly touted prospect who has been mired by injuries over the past three years. Sanchez is out of minor-league options, so Miami will have to make a decision on him by the end of camp. He threw a live batting practice session on Wednesday and his fastball was in the low-90s while his changeup had some bite to it. Is there enough time for Sanchez to make his case?

Braxton Garrett to throw first bullpen

After having his throwing progression slowed due to shoulder soreness, left-handed pitcher Braxton Garrett threw his first bullpen session of spring training on Friday.

“You want to see him progressing and he’s progressing really well,” Schumaker said. “The next step was obviously the bullpen and and to see what that looks like down the slope, which we’re you know, excited to watch our whole staff. He was excited that he saw his name on there this morning. He’s ready to go.”

Garrett will likely either throw another bullpen or a live batting practice session in the coming days before getting into spring training games.

Marlins sign pitcher to minor-league deal

The Marlins have signed right-handed pitcher Vladimir Gutierrez to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Gutierrez reported to camp on Friday.

The 28-year-old righty has made 32 career MLB appearances (30 starts), all with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021 and 2022. He has pitched to a 5.44 ERA over 150 2/3 innings with a .276 batting average against and 1.53 walks and hits per inning pitched. He has 117 strikeouts against 70 walks. He underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2022 and hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since. Gutierrez did make five rehab appearances in the minor-leagues last season.