Kapler and Kanthan have been hard at work for just over a month, as they helped contribute to the Marlins’ Winter Meetings strategy. Kapler joins Miami after managing the Phillies from 2018-19 and the Giants from ‘20-23. Prior to that, Kapler has extensive experience as a 12-year Major League vet and a member of the Dodgers’ front office from 2015-17.

Kanthan comes to the Marlins after five seasons with the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers. He spent the past two years as their assistant director of baseball operations. Kanthan has climbed the ladder in MLB since starting his career in 2016 in the Phillies’ ticket services department. 

Balkovec is perhaps the most exciting of the hires (at least for a fellow woman in sports like me). She has an impressive resume, including becoming the first woman to: manage a Minor League team (the Yankees’ Single-A Tampa Tarpons from 2022-23); serve as a full-time hitting coach in an MLB organization; and work as a full-time strength and conditioning coach in affiliated baseball. 

For more about Balkovec and what she brings to the table (which is a lot), check out this article.

As for Piliere, he joins the Marlins after six years with the Mariners, three of which he spent as the assistant director of amateur scouting. He has a depth of experience suited to the position, including working for sites like FanGraphs and D1Baseball.com. 

While the Marlins still have an opening for senior director of international operations, they’re not actively pursuing any candidates. For the time being, assistant general manager Oz Ocampo is taking on the responsibilities on top of his current role. 

“That search is not currently happening,” Ocampo said on Monday. “So I’m currently overseeing the space and working with our leadership team."

As such, it’s likely the Marlins are done hiring. They still have an opening for a GM, if they decide to pursue that, but after the success of 2023, these hirings seem to be ushering in a new era of Marlins baseball.

Before coming to the Marlins, what team was Bobby Bonilla on previously?

The Marlins kicked off the week by signing MLB.com’s No. 21 international prospect, Luis Cova, along with 20 others to usher in their 2024 international class.

It’s no surprise that the majority of the Marlins’ 2024 international class are from the Dominican Republic (14) -- after all, Miami opened a new academy in Boca Chica in late October 2022. The remainder hail from Venezuela (six) and Mexico (one).

While Cova is the only player to sign with a bonus above $1 million, per a source, that isn’t an indicator of the quality of athletes Miami has acquired. 

“Our scouts have done a really good job of just looking at the right types of athletes, predictable bodies, players that we think are going to continue to develop over time, players that we think have the right makeup, mentality to put the work in to get better physically and also develop their baseball skills,” Ocampo said on Monday.

For a more in-depth look at the signing class, check out this article by Jesse Borek, Jesús Cano and Joe Trezza.

• Marlins reporter Christina De Nicola sat down with president of baseball operations Peter Bendix to discuss his vision for the organization. 

• Betelhem Ashame wrote about DREAM Series pitcher Kevari Thunderbird honoring his late father while chasing big league dreams. 

• Do-Hyoung Park delved into two new NL West rivals who have a quite unique connection.

Jake Burger discusses the Marlins’ mindset heading into the 2024 season.

C. Orioles

Bonilla, who played for the Marlins in 1997 and part of ‘98, played for eight teams in his 16-year career. Prior to signing with the Marlins as a free agent in November 1996, Bonilla had spent most of the past two seasons with the O’s. In 1998, Bonilla was part of the May 14 trade that sent Manuel Barrios, Jim Eisenreich, Charles Johnson and Gary Sheffield to the Dodgers for Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile.

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