Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Marlins seeking high-end closer
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — As Michael Hill, the Marlins’ president of baseball operations, stood at the end of a hallway on the 12th floor of a gigantic hotel just south of Washington, D.C., his phone nearly said more than he did — the ring of a phone call, the ding of a text, the ping of an email.
So it goes this week at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, site of baseball’s annual Winter Meetings, where the sport’s 30 front offices gather in the same building but stay largely sequestered in their respective suites. The Marlins made no official moves Monday.
“I should probably put it on vibrate,” Hill said, digging through a front pocket. “At least I know when something happens. [The Winter Meetings are] an opportunity where all your peers are here. Everyone is looking at ways to potentially improve their clubs.”
For the Marlins, that means attempting to add a high-end free-agent closer, of which there are two remaining: Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman. Hill wouldn’t get so specific as to name players, but he did speak extensively in general terms about adding to the club’s back-end bullpen depth.
“We’re trying to improve our starting depth and the quality of our starting rotation, but knowing the front-line starting
options aren’t there, we’re looking to add to a strength,” Hill said. “We felt like our bullpen was a strength for us last year. If we can add another layer of depth to potentially shorten the game, that makes some sense also.”
Three options in that pursuit became two when Mark Melancon agreed to a four-year, $62 million contract with the San Francisco Giants — the largest contract ever awarded to a relief pitcher. Jansen, Don Mattingly’s closer during his Dodger days, and Chapman, a Cuban, are both expected to eclipse that mark.
Owner Jeffrey Loria, who is financing what is shaping up to be an franchise-high payroll of more than $100 million, is speaking with players’ agents himself, according to multiple reports.
As Day 1 of the Winter Meetings wound down Monday evening, Hill said, “Nothing is imminent.”
Backup catcher
Hill also confirmed Monday that the Marlins are looking outside the organization for a backup catcher to replace Jeff
Mathis, who signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend.
Miami has a list of backstops it is interested in, and now comes the “heavier lifting” and eventually signing of a deal to play behind J.T. Realmuto.
As for Mathis, Hill said Mathis had a deal on the table — two years, $4 million from the Diamondbacks — that he couldn’t pass up. The Marlins weren’t ready to make an offer.
“He got an opportunity that we felt like he needed to jump on. We weren’t there yet in terms of wanting to make that commitment,” Hill said. “We stayed in communication with him, so we knew where things were going with that. He has done a great job for us and we wished him well with the next chapter of his life in Arizona.”
Yelich in WBC
When Team USA takes the field for its World Baseball Classic home games at Marlins Park next spring, at least one of the players will really feel at home: Christian Yelich.
Yelich and Joe Torre, general manager for the U.S. squad, confirmed to the Sun Sentinel on Monday that the Marlins’ 25-year-old outfielder will represent the red, white and blue in the quadrennial international baseball tournament.
Pool C — consisting of Team USA, Canada, Colombia and the Dominican Republic — will play at Marlins Park on March 9-13.
Former Marlins manager Jim Leyland will serve in that role for Team USA. His hopes are high, despite rosters being far from finalized.
“Our country probably hasn’t taken it quite as seriously as some of the other countries in the past,” Leyland said. “We are trying to change that mentality.”