Stowers says there was no Marlins extension offer but bullish on future
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JUPITER, Fla. – Marlins All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers addressed the offseason extension rumors ahead of the club’s first full-squad workout on Monday morning at the Marlins Jupiter Academy.
According to a report by The Athletic, the Marlins presented an offer of eight years and $50 million, while Stowers’ representatives proposed eight years for $100 million.
“No updates,” Stowers said Monday. “There was some conversation. I think the thing I struggled with, with some of the stuff that was reported, I didn't ask for $100 million, and I didn't turn down an offer. There was no offer.
“But at the same time, I'm just so focused on this year. We’ve got four years of control left. I understand it. They have every right to play my control out. And so I'm just so excited to be here, so grateful to be in this organization. I was bummed we didn't get something figured out, [I] would love to someday. But at the same time, let's take care of this year, and we'll go from there.”
Stowers, who turned 28 on Jan. 2, will not be arbitration-eligible until after this season. After shuttling back and forth between Triple-A and the Majors from 2022-24 and producing a 69 OPS+ in 117 games, he broke out in 2025 as a first-time All-Star and a NL Gold Glove finalist.
Following a tough spring in which there was uncertainty as to whether he would make the Opening Day roster, Stowers slashed .288/.368/.544 in 117 games before a season-ending oblique injury in August.
“I'm not going to talk about any possible things or hypotheticals,” president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said. “I will talk about how much Kyle means to the organization. He is a lot of what we stand for as the Marlins, and the way he got better last year at the Major League level, that's what we're all about. The person that he is, that's what we're all about. And so it's really exciting that we have Kyle, that he's going to be hitting in the middle of our lineup on Opening Day.
“We're really excited about him getting even better. I think there's another layer in there, another level that he can achieve, that can help us get to where we want to go. So Kyle's really meaningful. He's a great person to build around. He's a great player to build around. Really happy that he's a Marlin.”