ATLANTA -- Jonathon Long knew his future was uncertain with Michael Busch blocking first base at the big league level for the Cubs.
Long saw what happened to former Triple-A teammate Owen Caissie, who also had little to prove in the Minors but had nowhere to play, and was shipped to the Marlins in January.
When word got out that Miami had acquired Long from Chicago ahead of Monday’s Deadline, Caissie sent over a welcome text and told him to reach out if he needed anything.
“I saw his swing, I was like, ‘Oh, this guy can probably hit,’” Caissie said of his first impression of Long. “I've always thought he's a really good hitter and a good teammate. You can't really ask for much more. Gives his all every single day and is a sneaky, really good baserunner.”
The pair overlapped at Triple-A Iowa in 2025, when Long hit 20 homers and drove in 91 runs with an .883 OPS in 140 games. Caissie added 22 home runs and 55 RBIs with a .937 OPS in 99 games.
Now, Caissie and Long, ranked as the Marlins’ No. 14 prospect, could reunite in Miami sooner than later.
The right-handed-hitting Long, who earned International League Player of the Month for his July, should receive a callup by season’s end if he continues to produce. Long entered Thursday with an .868 OPS against lefties this season, which would move the needle for a left-handed-heavy Marlins lineup that has struggled against southpaws.
It’ll be up to Long to force the issue and be added to the 40-man roster. He also understands that clubs value defensive versatility, so being relegated to first base isn’t going to cut it.
This year, more than in years' past, the Cubs had made a point to get Long into the outfield (16 games, 15 starts) on a more consistent basis. Through his first three games in the Marlins’ organization, he has appeared at first base once and in left field twice.
At the big league level, Kyle Stowers has taken over first base -- a position he hadn’t played in professional ball until this year -- to keep the surplus of outfielders in the lineup (Caissie, Heriberto Hernández, Griffin Conine and Jakob Marsee). Only Hernández is a righty bat, meaning there’s a clear opening for Long. First base is also a position lacking depth within the organization.
“As long as I'm consistent and play to the level that I'm capable of, I'm ready at any time to go up to the next level,” Long said. “Obviously, being able to play left field -- probably an average left field in the big leagues -- is probably going to be really important, just to be able to play two different positions.
“It's not the easiest thing. You can take fly balls in practice, but nothing really compares to the game-like situations. Just being out there more has really helped. The more reps you get, the better you get at it.”
But make no mistake: The 24-year-old Long will reach The Show thanks to his bat.
Last season, Long led the International League in hits (157), and ranked second in runs (86) and total bases (246), and third in walks (79) and RBIs (91). Though Long got off to a hot start (.821 OPS in April) this season, he tailed off in May (.577 OPS) before rebounding in June (.857 OPS) and July (1.098 OPS).
According to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report, Long employs a patient approach at the plate while making regular contact to all fields (55-grade hit tool). His bat speed and strength allow him to hit the ball hard, but he will need to drive the ball in the air more often to his pull side to tap into his plus raw power (50 grade).
The report continues by saying Long can at times be too passive and produce too many ground balls. Long grasps that he will need to continue to take his walks and control the zone, striking out at a respectable clip, to keep his slug up. Since he is nearly as productive against righties and lefties, that’ll work in his favor.
“He's a very good hitter,” president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said. “We think there's some things we can do to help unlock him, but we need offense, right? We always need more offense, and I think he's somebody who's right on the cusp of the big leagues.”