The Marlins may want to thank whoever made their 2026 schedule.
That’s because Miami’s first six games are at home against the two teams with the worst records in the majors last season.
On Sunday, Miami completed a three-game sweep over the Rockies, who lost 119 contests in 2025.
Next up, the Marlins will host the White Sox, who lost 102 games last year. It was Chicago’s third straight 100-loss season.
Monday’s opener of a three-game set will feature a matchup between right-handers Chris Paddack of Miami and Davis Martin for Chicago.
Paddack, 30, will make his Marlins debut 11 years after Miami drafted him in the eighth round. Before he could make the majors, the Marlins traded him to San Diego for Fernando Rodney in 2016.
From there, Paddack developed into a solid major leaguer, going 32-36 with a 4.64 ERA over seven seasons with three teams (Padres, Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers).
In February, he came back home, signing a one-year, $4 million contract to be part of a rotation that includes standouts Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez.
Paddack, who is 1-2 with a 4.85 ERA in five starts against the White Sox, relies on a fastball (94-96 mph) and a plus changeup. He also has a slider/cutter and a curve.
Martin, a 29-year-old changeup artist who has never faced the Marlins, relies on finesse. He struck out just 6.6 batters per nine innings last season for Chicago and finished 7-10 with a 4.10 ERA. For his three-year career, he is 10-21 with a 4.32 ERA.
On Monday, Martin will face a Marlins squad that boasts a significant Canadian influence. Miami’s Canadian natives are catcher Liam Hicks, outfielder Owen Caissie and bench coach Carson Vitale. In addition, shortstop Otto Lopez was raised in Canada since the age of 10.
“We have a lot of Canadian support,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said.
In fact, Caissie, a rookie acquired from the Cubs in January in the Edward Cabrera trade, hit a two-run, walk-off homer with two outs in the ninth Sunday, lifting Miami to a 4-3 win over Colorado.
“Just how we drew it up,” Caissie joked after getting a Gatorade bath from his teammates. “We have a lot of fun. We’re going to have fun and win ballgames.”
Meanwhile, the White Sox are off to a 0-3 start after getting swept at Milwaukee.
The White Sox are without standout catcher Kyle Teel, who has a hamstring injury. In January, Chicago traded slugging center fielder Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets. Over the past three seasons, Robert hit 66 homers and already has a walk-off dinger for New York.
However, the positive White Sox news is that they signed first baseman Munetaka Murakami in December to a two-year, $34 million contract. So far, Murakami has delivered one home run in each of his three games this season.
Murakami, who won the Triple Crown in Japan in 2022, is in his prime at 26. He’s the first player in White Sox history to homer in his first three games with the franchise.
“I need to keep studying the pitchers,” said Murakami, a left-handed hitter who is batting .333 with a 1.872 OPS. “The pitchers are going to be studying me, so I have to keep improving so I can help us win games.”
–Field Level Media
