Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Ex-Pirate pitcher
Marlins sign leftie Jeff Locke to one-year deal.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — With a productive, hole-patching day of inexpensive free-agent additions at the Winter Meetings on Wednesday, the Marlins’ 2017 roster is starting to come into focus.
The team agreed to terms on one-year contracts with backup catcher A.J. Ellis, backend starting pitcher Jeff Locke and middle reliever Dustin McGowan on Wednesday, marking reunions of sorts for all three players with figures significant to their careers.
All of the deals are pending physicals. Ellis is reported to make $2.5 million, Locke $3 million. McGowan’s salary is unclear.
The Marlins are familiar with Ellis, 35, because he played under manager Don Mattingly and bench coach Tim Wallach with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Locke, 29, got cut by the Pirates last week but has worked closely with Jim Benedict, the Marlins’ vice president of pitching development who they hired away from Pittsburgh a year ago. And the
34-year-old McGowan, of course, spent 2016 in Miami.
“Knowing that the guys coming in, you have longstanding relationships with them — you know how they’re made, you know what they stand for, you know what they’re about — is very helpful in the process,” president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. “We have the core in place. We don’t just have to sign anybody. They have to fit with what you’re trying to do.”
Ellis replaces Jeff Mathis, who signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks last week, as J.T. Realmuto’s backup. He is a bit of an offensive upgrade— last season he hit .216 with a .301 on-base percentage and .298 slugging mark — and is highly regarded by the Marlins as a defender and pitchframer, as well as a clubhouse presence
The Dodgers, a perennial postseason contender, traded Ellis late last season to the rebuilding Philadelphia Phillies, a move that was said to be a bit of a culture shock for Ellis. Now, Hill said, Ellis is buying into the idea of being a veteran mentor, to Realmuto in particular.
“He knows where he’s at in his career, and he wants to be that mentor and nurture and help grow J.T. into the best catcher in the game,” Hill said. “His ability to catch and mentor and game plan, those are the qualities [the Marlins sought]. As we looked at the skill set that we wanted for our backup catcher, those were very important to us. He checks the boxes in all of those.”
Locke, once his deal is official, gives the Marlins five starters — including three left-handers — on major league contracts, but Hill noted that that does not preclude the club from bringing in more options. Jose Urena, who is out of minor league options, will come to spring training as a starter but could end up in the bullpen.
Locke — like Edinson Volquez, who the Marlins signed last week — is coming off a bad season but has had success in the past and has a background with Benedict, as well as new bullpen coach Dean Treanor, who worked for years in Pittsbugh’s farm system. For the Marlins, that seems to be enough to take a shot, especially for a relatively inexpensive deal like Locke’s.
“[Locke is] going to be given every opportunity to be in the rotation,” Hill said. “Reuniting him with Jim Benedict and Dean Treanor gives us another starting option that we think is in line for a bounceback and ability to give us quality innings.”
Forgive the Marlins if they are biased about Locke. On May 30, Locke threw a three-hit shutout against Miami in Miami. On Aug. 20, shortly after Locke had been demoted to the bullpen due to ineffectiveness in the rotation, he tossed two scoreless innings.
Overall, Locke’s 2016 did not go well. He posted a 5.44 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 30 starts (19 games) while striking out a career-low 5.2 batters per nine innings.
In parts of six big league seasons, Locke owns a 4.41 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. He was an All-Star in 2013, his first full season in the majors.
McGowan wasn’t exactly at the top of Miami’s reliever wish list — Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman, the remaining prized closers on the free-agent market, remain possibilities — but is another piece of what the Marlins hope is a top-notch bullpen.
Last spring, McGowan was in camp as a non-roster invitee. The Marlins designated him for assignment in mid-April, but he returned to the majors for good less than a month later. McGowan finished with a 2.82 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.
“He did an excellent job for us,” Hill said. “Gives us another multi-inning bullpen piece that was very versatile in our ‘pen. He pitched early, he pitched long and was outstanding the second half of the season.”