Miami Marlins add to the bullpen

The Miami Marlins vs Cleveland Guardians game was rained out tonight. In other Fish news, we received an injury update on a starting pitcher. We also found out that The Fish lost a Minor League SS to free agency. Continuing the trend of news today, The Fish signed right handed pitcher Ronald Bolanos to a Minor League deal. I know what you're thinking... who is this?! Well, read on to find out...

The Miami Marlins signed Roland Bolanos to a Minor League contract.

The Miami Marlins have a great bullpen so far this season. It doesn't mean that the team shouldn't be adding some depth, which is where Roland Bolanos comes in. Bolanos is 26 years old, and debuted in 2019 with the San Diego Padres. He produced a 5.95 ERA/5.25 FIP with 8.7 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 in 5 games and 19.2 innings pitched. The strikeouts looked appealing, but that was about it. He moved on to the Kansas City Royals in 2020. This time he delivered a 12.27 ERA/12.46 FIP with 4.9 K/9 and 7.4 BB/9, in 2 games and 3.2 innings pitched with the Kansas City Royals in 2020.

Bolanos received another shot with Kansas City in 2021. This time he delivered a 1.42 ERA/0.96 FIP with 14.2 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 3 games and 6.1 innings pitched. It's important to point out that this was the first time that he pitched exclusively as a relief pitcher. He was of course phenomenal here, and this was very promising production for him. In 2022, he delivered a 4.42 ERA/4.17 FIP with 9.5 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 4 games and 18.0 innings pitched.

It was a step down for Bolanos, but the strikeout rate is still impressive. Bolanos is controlled via arbitration through 2027, so the Miami Marlins have a long time to get him on track. As I said earlier, bullpen depth is very important for teams to have, so it's definitely a good thing that The Fish signed him. Time will tell if Roland Bolanos can ever become a useful reliever, but it is definitely worth it.