The Miami Marlins are watching rival teams have a busy off-season, full of rumors. This isn't fun to follow, as The Fish are expected to be pretty quiet. Of course, the rotation is in fact expected to have a lot of healthy arms back for next season. The hitting however does need help. A lot of people would say the same about the bullpen, but it's quietly looking good. Still, depth is always needed.
Some interesting bullpen arms for the Miami Marlins.
The Chicago Cubs just DFA'd relief pitcher Adbert Alzolay this week. It wouldn't be a bad idea for the Miami Marlins to take a serious look at claiming him. Alzolay wasn't impressive in the 2024 season. He pitched to a 4.67 ERA/7.38 FIP, with 6.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 18 games and 17.1 innings pitched. That would make him highly unappealing at first glance, however there's more to look at than just that.
In 2023, Alzolay pitched to a 2.67 ERA/3.02 FIP, with 9.4 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 58 games and 64.0 innings pitched. Those are pretty impressive numbers, that could even see the righty as a closing candidate. In fact, he did just that during that season, accumulating 22 saves for the Cubs. His 2024 season has been a disaster of course, but what if he bounces back in 2025?
Another interesting DFA'd reliever is lefty Richard Lovelady. Lovelady has been DFA'd by the Tampa Bay Rays, so Peter Bendix could very well be interested in him already. Lovelady has good strikeout ability, with a career mark of 8.2 K/9. His control is nothing special however with a career mark of 3.3 BB/9. In 2024, he pitched to a 4.46 ERA/3.92 FIP, with 6.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9, in 35 games and 34.1 innings pitched. He split his time between the Chicago Cubs and the Tampa Bay Rays.
Glenn Lovelady would be a good depth addition for the Miami Marlins. Adbert Alzolay on the other hand, really interests me as a bounce back candidate. I'm definitely curious to see whether The Fish make a move.