Marlins Free Agent Target: Nate Schierholtz

Miami has had a busy off-season; however moves in the outfield have been rather quiet. The most talented outfield group in baseball last season looks like they will stay together for some time, especially if the team can reach extensions with Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich. The Marlins signed franchise star Giancarlo Stanton to that monster contract of 13 years at about $325 million.

The question is who will back up the young trio? Yelich, Ozuna, and Stanton, are the only outfielders on the 40 man roster. Some experience would be great to help out the youngsters, and a great viable option is Nate Schierholtz.

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Schierholtz had a rough year this past season hitting .195 with 7 homers and 37 runs batted in. He played 99 games with the Cubs before being designated for assignment. The Washington Nationals then signed him to a minor league contract and he was brought up to play 23 games with the team. In 2013, Schierholtz had a career year in which he hit .251 with 21 homers and 68 RBI’S in 137 games. He has always been known for his stellar defense as he did not make an error in all of 2014 and only made 3 in 2013 playing a close to full season.

The left handed hitting outfielder will turn 31 in mid-February and can be used in all 3 outfield positions. Schierholtz has a very strong arm which helped him make 5 outfield assists in 2013 and 9 in 2014 with his short stint in D.C. Schierholtz provides a power from the left side and can be  good spot-start/bench guy in a rising Marlins team. His veteran presence would be great in the clubhouse and the man knows about winning as he won a world series in 2012 when he was with the Giants.

Schierholtz has been a consistent performer against righties and lefties which is something Miami won’t have to worry about. He has a 21.4 UZR and 19 defensive runs saved in about 4,500 innings. Schierholtz will also come at a low price; however he can post big surprising numbers if given the opportunity. Maybe a contract with a lot of performance bonuses and incentives might get it done. In addition, if Schierholtz wants to win, Miami is a team on the rise and has expectations of being a playoff contender.