Miguel Rojas set to sign extension with Marlins, keeping him in Miami through 2023

The Miami Marlins’ de-facto team captain is staying in South Florida.

The Marlins have agreed to a contract extension with Miguel Rojas, keeping the shortstop on the team through the 2023 season. The team is expected to formally announce the extension Thursday.

Rojas was already locked in for the 2022 season after the $5.5 million mutual option in his contract vested when he hit 500 plate appearances last season.

This extension adds an extra year to his time in Miami.

Rojas, already the longest-tenured player on the Marlins roster, has been the vocal leader in the Marlins’ clubhouse the past two seasons. He had previously said on an Oct. 19 episode the Chris Rose Rotation podcast that contract extension discussions with the Marlins were in the works and he would be staying in Miami “for hopefully a couple more years.” He has long been vocal about his support of the rebuild that has unfolded since the Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter ownership group took over, with his comments about wanting to stay with the Marlins dating to the middle of the 2019 season.

“I’m happy that they approached me the same way that I was thinking early in the year in spring training and then during the year,” Rojas said. “I always wanted to be here in Miami and I want to continue to be here and be part of this organization when we actually take that step towards the part where we want to be, which is a winning team, a winning franchise.

“I’ve been here for the ups and downs — a lot of downs — but I want to be here for the ups, too. We’re getting really close.”

On Thursday, it will become official.

Rojas has been with the team since 2015. He has a career .271 average with 32 home runs, 117 doubles, 224 RBI, 259 runs scored and 37 stolen bases in 730 game for Miami.

Defensively, Rojas has been a stalwart at shortstop especially since taking over the everyday job in 2019 after beginning his career as a late-inning defensive replacement and utility infielder. He ranks third in FanGraphs’ total defensive rating among qualified shortstops over the past three years, trailing only Trevor Story and Paul DeJong.