Marlins add Turnbow in minor league deal

As reported by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, the Marlins have added former Milwaukee Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow. He’s coming aboard on a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, so nothing here is guaranteed in the slightest.

What do I think of the deal? It should be asked whether we should even care. CHONE has Turnbow projected at a 4.99 FIP, pretty awful for anyone. Turnbow has barely played the last few seasons due to elbow problems, but the Marlins do have a history of bringing in old relief arms on the cheap and attaining success. Still, this is the sort of move the Marlins can afford to make, a low-cost play with no guarantees involved.

The question is how and when the Marlins will determine Turnbow’s effectiveness. In years past, the Marlins have made plenty of these signings, with a handful of them sticking on the big-league roster. However, they usually decide whether those players will stick by taking a look at Spring Training results. I’ll discuss this a bit more in-depth when Spring Training comes about, but suffice to say the team should not be judging anyone on the one month of Spring Training play. It remains to be seen what the Marlins will do with Turnbow, but as we saw last season with Luis Ayala, it seems the club will give pitchers with a track record of poor play in previous seasons a nod over younger relievers because of “veteran presence.” Let’s hope that, if Turnbow sticks in the pen, it’s for his performance and not his age.