Miami Marlins Henderson Alvarez part ways

With the the deadline approaching, the Miami Marlins decided not to tender a contract to starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez. Electing not to spend $4 million on a pitcher coming off of an injury, Alvarez will enter free agency  and could be looking for a new ballclub for the 2016 season.

Alvarez made the MLB All-Star game in 2014, was the Marlins opening day starter in 2015, and looked destined to be the Marlins ace before a poor start and injury derailed his up and coming season. Alvarez’s finest moment came in 2014 when he no-hit the Detroit Tigers at Marlins Park.

The Marlins have expressed interest in keeping Alvarez.  In an interview, Michael Hill expressed the Marlins interest to retain Alvarez and reliever Aaron Crow who they also did not tender a contract to. “We’ve had a lot of communication with both. Both, are free agents but if there’s a creative way we can keep them both we’ll look to do that.”

The Marlins concerns with Alvarez look solely rooted in his injury issues. For a team with a reputation of not wanting to spend money, and often on a very tight budget, $4 million is a lot of money to spend for a player with so many question marks. Alvarez struggled in his seven major league starts in 2015 before being shut down going 0-4 with a 6.45 ERA.

With his promise and potential, the Marlins would more than likely be willing to take a shot at a lower price tag. The question now turns to, is there another team willing to take the gamble for more cash than Miami is willing to throw Alvarez’s way?

As expected, the Marlins tendered contracts to stars Dee Gordon, Jose Fernandez, Carter Capps, and Adeiny Hechavarria. Pitchers David Phelps, Tom Koehler, and Bryan Morris all also received tendered contracts from Miami before the 11:59PM deadline.