The Miami Marlins are unafraid to be bold and innovative with their player development methods, but implementing a four-man outfield defensive alignment throughout the organization feels like it would be a bridge too far, even for them.

So how is this going to work? The Marlins already had good outfield depth entering the 2025-26 offseason. Several recent trades have bolstered that area to such an extent, I’m struggling with the rudimentary math. Barring undisclosed injuries and/or off-the-field issues, it will take immense creativity to manage playing time at the position, from Beloit all the way up to Miami.

Let’s do a rough projection of Opening Day assignments for Marlins outfielders. Players with the “UTIL” label are candidates for infield reps.

MLB: Jakob Marsee, Kyle Stowers, Owen Caissie, Heriberto Hernández, Griffin Conine (UTIL), Javier Sanoja (UTIL), Christopher Morel (UTIL)

The Marlins have expressed a willingness to use both Conine and Morel at first base, despite both being neophytes at the position.

Sanoja would be Marsee’s center field backup in this scenario, but receive the rest of his reps at second base, third base and shortstop.

Triple-A: Kemp Alderman, Matthew Etzel, Victor Mesa Jr., Esteury Ruiz, Andrew Pintar, Mark Coley II, Jacob Berry (UTIL)

Poor Daniel Johnson signed his minor league deal before Miami traded Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers. The prospects acquired in exchange have quickly made Johnson expendable—he’ll need to ball out in spring training just to merit a roster spot in Jacksonville.

Watching Berry at any of the infield positions is an eyesore, but with all of these other outfield mouths to feed, expect to see him used frequently on the dirt.

Double-A: Fenwick Trimble, Brendan Jones, Dillon Lewis, Ethan O’Donnell, Colby Shade, Eric Rataczak (UTIL), Michael Snyder (UTIL)

This looks a lot tidier if we assume that Rataczak and Snyder will transition to first base and platoon there.

High-A: Dillon Head, Cam Cannarella, Brandon Compton, Emaarion Boyd, Micah McDowell, Ian Lewis (UTIL), Jesús Hernández (UTIL)

I suspect that none of these players will be starting on a daily basis throughout the entire season. The logjam puts the onus on Marlins coaches to get everybody on board with sacrificing individual playing time so that their teammates can be adequately evaluated.