Miami Marlins Look to Add Bullpen Help

Feb 16, 2013; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Nick Masset (40) poses for a photo during photo day at the Reds Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

It appears that the Marlins may not be finished with their offseason acquisitions. After an earlier report about Miami being interested in free agent starter Ervin Santana, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that Miami and the Colorado Rockies are pursuing free agent reliever Nick Masset.

"The Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies are among the teams pursuing free-agent reliever Nick Masset, who has missed the past two seasons because of shoulder problems that resulted in surgery."

Masset is a big right-hander who showed some promise as recently as 2009 when he posted a 2.37 ERA in 76 innings pitched for the Cincinatti Reds. Following that breakout year, Masset experienced two declining seasons, and then dealt with significant shoulder problems.

Masset, at 31-years-old, is likely on his last chance to salvage his career. He will want to choose the place that has the best opportunity to shine, not necessarily the one that offers the most amount of money. This is the type of players that the Marlins like to target. It would be a low-cost signing that could result in a large reward.

I don’t believe Masset will sign with Miami due to the amount of arms the Marlins currently have. Unless he pitched amazingly in spring training, he would likely start the season in New Orleans and would be pretty far down the depth chart to make it to Miami. He has never been a long-reliever, so he would be looking at only a couple of potential spots, which Miami may have already filled.