Miami Marlins continue bullpen restructuring by signing former Dodgers relief pitcher
The Miami Marlins have agreed to a deal with former Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Yimi Garcia pending a physical, a source confirmed Thursday. Garcia was non-tendered by the Dodgers.
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman first reported the agreement.
A 40-man roster move will have to be made once the move is official.
Garcia, 29, should be an immediate upgrade to the Marlins’ bullpen that struggled over the course of the 2019 season.
The 6-0, 225-pound right-handed pitcher appeared in 64 games for the Dodgers last season and posted a 3.61 ERA with 66 strikeouts against 14 walks over 62 1/3 innings. In 165 career appearances over five seasons with the Dodgers, he has a 3.66 ERA with 166 strikeouts versus 30 walks in 159 2/3 innings. Opponents have hit .215 against him all time.
According to Statcast, Garcia ranks in the 98th percentile among MLB pitchers in fastball spin rate and the 71st percentile in fastball velocity. His fastball averaged 94.2 mph last season, and hitters swung and missed on the pitch 15.2 percent of the time.
His signing should provide a jolt to a bullpen that was among MLB’s worst in 2019. The collective 4.97 ERA from Marlins’ relievers was the fifth-worst in MLB last season. They were also fifth-worst strikeout-to-walk ratio(2.11), save percentage (55.1) and wild pitches (39) while having a 1.45 walks and hits per innings pitched that ranked in the bottom 10 of the league.
The Marlins have removed three relief pitchers from their roster this season, releasing Wei-Yin Chen and waiving Tayron Guerrero and Tyler Kinley.
“Our bullpen just wasn’t good enough,” Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said in general on Thursday as the winter meetings came to a close. “You can give guys opportunities and they have to take advantage of it. If they can’t take advantage of it, then we have to do what we need to do to get better.”
The news of the agreement came shortly after the Marlins picked up Washington Nationals pitching prospect Sterling Sharp in the MLB phase of the Rule 5 Draft, which gives the Marlins two new pitchers to contend for playing time out of the bullpen.
Internal candidates to compete for the remainder of Miami’s bullpen spots include Ryne Stanek, Drew Steckenrider, Austin Brice, Jarlin Garcia, Jeff Brigham, Adam Conley, Brian Moran, Jose Quijada, Kyle Keller and Jose Urena (if he’s not in the starting rotation).
This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 1:24 PM.
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