Jupiter & Port St. Lucie (CBS12 News) — The Miami Marlins and the New York Mets will open their spring training schedules against each other this Saturday afternoon at Clover Park, as both clubs come off their first full-squad workouts of the year and officially turn the page toward the 2026 season.
For the Marlins, the week began with more than just baseball. Owner Bruce Sherman and team executives held a ribbon-cutting ceremony ahead of position players reporting, unveiling the franchise’s newly renovated $108 million spring training complex, now called the Marlins Jupiter Academy. Positional players got their first look at the upgraded facility just before taking the field together as a full unit, underscoring the organization’s investment in long-term growth.
Now, Miami hopes the real upgrade shows up between the lines. While pitching has traditionally been the team’s calling card, several young position players are aiming to build on strong 2025 campaigns — especially surprise All-Star Kyle Stowers. Stowers broke out last season with a .912 OPS, 25 home runs and 73 RBIs before a mid-August oblique strain cut his year short. Even so, he firmly established himself as one of the club’s foundational bats heading into 2026.
“One of the things that worked well for me last year was low expectation and high belief rather than obsessing over every little outcome,” Stowers said. “I just try to control what I can control.”
Versatility is expected to be a major theme for Miami this season. Players like Connor Norby, one of the club’s most flexible defenders, give the Marlins options across the diamond as they look to maximize matchups and develop a deeper, more dynamic lineup.
Standing in their way in the National League East once again will likely be the Mets — the very team they’ll see first this spring. New York’s full squad also reported this week in Port St. Lucie, and the roster looks significantly reshaped. The Mets added Bo Bichette on a three-year deal after he hit .311 with Toronto, along with switch-hitting veteran Jorge Polanco, who brings both power and defensive flexibility after two seasons in Seattle. They join returning stars Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, who is working his way back from offseason surgery.
The infield makeover is further highlighted by the arrival of veteran Marcus Semien, whose leadership and postseason résumé add to what already appears to be one of the deepest lineups in the league.
“You look at it — it’s a loaded group,” Semien said. “We’ve got a lot of All-Stars, guys who’ve played in big games, World Series champions, Silver Sluggers — accolades up and down the lineup.”
With just days to go before the first pitch of spring, Saturday’s matchup offers an early glimpse at two NL East clubs with very different paths but similarly high expectations — one building around youth and internal growth, the other stacked with proven stars and championship experience.