Marlins continue bullpen overhaul by signing veteran reliever for late-inning role
The Miami Marlins’ fortification and overhaul of their bullpen continues.
The Marlins have agreed to terms with journeyman right-handed relief pitcher Anthony Bass, a source confirmed Friday to the Miami Herald. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported the deal is for two years with a team option for 2023, making Bass the first player to receive a multiyear deal under new general manager Kim Ng.
The deal is pending a physical, and the Marlins will have to make a corresponding move to place him on the 40-man roster once the deal is official.
Bass, 33, has a career 4.32 ERA over 217 career games in nine MLB seasons. The Marlins will be his fifth team in five years after being with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2020, Seattle Mariners in 2019, Chicago Cubs in 2018 and Texas Rangers in 2017.
Bass, who has primarily worked as a late-inning reliever the last few years, will most likely compete with Yimi Garcia to be the Marlins’ closer.
He converted seven of nine save opportunities for the Blue Jays in 2020 and five of 10 opportunities for the Mariners in 2019.
Bass made his MLB debut in 2011 with the San Diego Padres, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2008, and moved full-time to the bullpen in 2013 after starting 15 of 24 games in 2012. He played with the Houston Astros in 2014 and Rangers in 2015 before spending a year with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Jappan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League. In his four years.
Sports Grid’s Craig Mish was first to report the deal.
Anthony Bass’ repertoire
Over the past two years, Bass has moved toward the sinker as his go-to pitch. He threw it 54 percent of the time in 2020 (208 out of 385) and 48.2 percent of the time in 2019 (344 out of 714).
His secondary pitch is a slider that has a high swing-and-miss rate (52.2 percent in 2020, 37.3 percent in 2019, 41.7 percent in 2018). Opponents have hit just .150 against that pitch over the past three years (16 for 117) with 39 strikeouts.
Bass also has a split-finger fastball used almost exclusively against left-handed hitters and a four-seam fastball he doesn’t use as often.
The Marlins’ new-look bullpen
Bass is the fifth new relief pitcher who will be added to the Marlins’ 40-man roster this offseason, joining Adam Cimber, Ross Detwiler, Paul Campbell and Zach Pop. James Hoyt, Richard Bleier and Garcia are the only relief pitchers the Marlins still have who threw at least 10 innings with the team last season.
The Marlins had the fifth-worst bullpen ERA in baseball last year (5.50), while also ranking in the bottom five in WHIP (1.55, 26th), batting average against (.269, 27th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.58, 30th) and home runs allowed (42, T-27th).
As the roster stands, Garcia and Bass are the main two contenders to close games with the other expected to pitch the eighth inning. Bleier, a lefty, and Hoyt, a righty, will likely get high-leverage roles in 2021 as well. Campbell, a Rule 5 Draft selection and swing starter at the minor-league level, seems destined to handle long-relief duties. Pop, Cimber and Detwiler should round out the bullpen.
The Marlins also have Jeff Brigham and Alex Vesia on their 40-man roster.
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 9:39 AM.
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