As first reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, veteran right-hander Cal Quantrill was placed on outright waivers by the Marlins on Tuesday afternoon. Over the course of the next 48 hours, the other 29 MLB teams will have the chance to claim him. Quantrill is owed slightly over $700k from what was originally a one-year, $3.5 million contract.
Signed early in spring training on February 12, Quantrill was brought in under similar circumstances as Tim Anderson a season ago. Miami was buying low on the 30-year-old and banking on a solid first half in hopes of shipping him off for prospects at the trade deadline.
The first month of the Canadian’s Marlins tenure was rough—he owned an ERA of 8.10 by the end of April. However, he turned things around with a stretch of allowing three earned runs or less in his next fifteen starts from May through the trade deadline, highlighted by throwing the first immaculate inning of 2025 and only the second in franchise history. He was durable and relatively consistent, which looked like it would be enough to salvage something in a trade.
Apparently not. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix held onto Quantrill. Contenders were offering next to nothing for his services, per Craig Mish of FanDuel Sports Network Florida. Perhaps his jarring struggles when opposing lineups faced him for the third time persuaded buyers to shop elsewhere. Quantrill has completed six innings only once in 24 opportunities.
Quantrill’s three post-deadline starts have gone poorly, inflating his ERA to 5.50 in 109 ⅔ total innings pitched. Although the Marlins are allowed to keep him on their roster if he clears waivers, the expectation is that they will use the final six weeks of the season to evaluate younger alternatives. Because Quantrill has more than five years of MLB service, the remainder of his salary is fully guaranteed. If the Marlins outright him to the minor leagues, he’ll reject the assignment, elect free agency and seek employment elsewhere.
Beginning this weekend, there will be a void in the rotation. The obvious choices to fill it on the Marlins 40-man roster are Adam Mazur and the newly acquired Ryan Gusto. They have made one start apiece for the big league club this season.
The more intriguing—although unlikely—option would be Robby Snelling. Since he joined Triple-A Jacksonville, Snelling has been incredible, boasting a 1.33 ERA in 33 ⅔ innings of work. The 21-year-old has put together two dominant eleven-strikeout performances, leaning on a tremendous mid-90’s fastball with ride.
With the Marlins’ 2025 playoff hopes evaporating during their recent 4-11 stretch and Snelling potentially being a headliner in their rotation for years to come, the front office will be tempted to delay his debut until early 2026 to gain an additional season of club control over him.