What will the Bendix Marlins look like?

This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Peter Bendix wasted no time in his new role as the Marlins' president of baseball operations, flying to the General Managers Meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Monday morning while the organization announced his hiring.

On Wednesday afternoon, Bendix answered some questions relayed by me to MLB.com colleague Ian Browne, who was in attendance, to get a feel for what Miami might do this offseason.

Will Bendix hire a general manager?

Bendix spent the past two years serving as the GM to a president of baseball operations (Erik Neander) with the Rays, so he knows better than anyone the dynamic that comes into play. It's important to note that not every organization has both positions.

"That's one of the many questions I'm dealing with right now and trying to figure out what the answer is," Bendix said. "[I'm] not looking to rush anything. So much of this is about me learning the organization, learning the people who are in place, learning what I need, what the organization needs. It's Day 3."

The same goes for filling the positions previously held by DJ Svihlik (senior director of amateur scouting) and Adrian Lorenzo (senior director of international operations).

"Those are really important positions, and those are going to be really important hires, and there's urgency," Bendix said. "And yet at the same time, I don't want to put a specific timeline on it."

When it comes to front-office hirings, Bendix plans to learn about the skill set and strengths of those already in the organization, what they need to be supported, and then balance that with bringing in external personnel. As the new guy, Bendix is leaning on others with institutional knowledge to catch him up.

What's his vision for the Marlins going forward? What does he want this team's identity to be?

"It's a buzzword, but 'sustainably successful,'" Bendix said, "and I want everybody who works for the club to be really proud to say they work for the club. It's not to say they don't feel that now, right? But that is the end goal. To say, 'Man, it's really hard to leave the Marlins,' just like it's incredibly difficult for me to leave the Rays."

Is there still a chance for a reunion with All-Star slugger Jorge Soler?

Soler declined his 2024 player option ($9 million, with an increase by up to $4 million based on plate appearances in ‘23) before the Marlins decided not to extend him a qualifying offer.

A qualifying offer is a one-year contract for a designated amount, which this year is $20.325 million. If Soler had been offered one and declined it, the Marlins would have received Draft-pick compensation.

"[The] door's not closed," Bendix said. "[It was a] difficult decision to make. [It's] tough to commit to potentially $20 million to one player, but it was not an easy call either way, and [the] door's still very much open."

Should Soler sign elsewhere, Bendix went on to say the Marlins would look to "all of the above" -- everything from free agency to trades -- to fill the void in the lineup. Soler hit 36 homers (tied for eighth in the National League) and drove in 75 runs (second most on the club).

Can we expect extension talks with any key players?

All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez, closer Tanner Scott, center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and left-hander Jesús Luzardo are among the 12 arbitration-eligible Marlins this offseason, meaning they will see salary increases via a one-year agreement with the team (before Jan. 12 deadline) or an arbitration hearing.

Scott, who became one of the Majors' top late-inning arms in 2023, has one more year of club control before he can become a free agent. Arraez (FA in '26) and Luzardo ('27) won arbitration cases to determine their '23 salaries, then put together career seasons. Chisholm, who is arbitration-eligible for the first time, was named an All-Star in '22 but has been hampered by injuries over the past three seasons.

Organizations tend to dole out extensions to eat up arbitration years and the first few years of free agency. The Braves are the standard for inking their young core of players for the foreseeable future.

"Those are things that we're going to look at," Bendix said. "This is the time of year to look at all those things. I'm coming in kind of fresh, evaluating everybody from an outside perspective, and then I'm learning things on the inside. So we're going to have a lot of conversations about that."