Don’t look now, but the Miami Marlins might mean business. Considering how they finished 2025, this shouldn’t be a surprise.

It’s dangerous to overreact to the first week of the MLB season. At most, teams are nine or ten games into a 162-game campaign. But not enough people are talking about the Miami Marlins.

Loaded with young talent, provided to them in exchange for players they were never destined to keep long-term, they are not laying down for anyone. This is not just a 2026 thing, though. The Marlins have been on a tear dating back to last year.

The tweet above is from April 1, and it shows just how good the Marlins are. Over these 101 games, they had a record that was right with the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Going into action on Saturday night, the Marlins began their 2026 campaign with a 6-2 record.

Sandy Alcantara continues to be a dominant force on the mound, fooling the Chicago White Sox while pitching a complete-game shutout on April 1st. Up the middle, Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez have combined for 18 hits. Owen Caissie, who came to Miami in the trade that sent Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs, has tallied two home runs, including a walk-off during opening weekend. (All stats are before Saturday, April 4th’s action.)

Story continues below.

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Even the Washington Nationals are winning with a roster full of young players. They took two of three from the Cubs in Chicago to begin their year. Then, they traveled to Philadelphia and put 13 runs on the board to spoil their home opener.

The Phillies, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves were all expected to leave the Marlins and Nationals in the dust as they competed for the division title. But looking over anyone in this division might be a fatal mistake. Specifically, these Miami Marlins mean business and pose a serious threat to the favorites.