Apparently so. The Marlins are planning on adding Scott Williamson to the mix and see if he has enough left to make the team.
The Marlins are adding another veteran reliever to their system.
According to a Major League source, the team is finalizing the signing of right-hander Scott Williamson to a Minor League contract.
The 33-year-old last pitched in the big leagues with Baltimore in 2007, and he was in Spring Training with the Tigers this year.
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Williamson, like Ayala, is expected to get work in for Triple-A New Orleans.
According to our friend Ian Casselberry at Bless You Boys this is how things went for Williamson when he was a Tiger.
Much as he did in Spring Training, Williamson started out strong with Toledo, pitching two scoreless appearances. But then he seemed to wear down or just couldn't generate the same stuff, and hitters caught up to him. In his last three outings, Williamson allowed seven runs over 3.1 innings. He finished with an 11.81 ERA.
Williamson is a former ROY and showed great promise when he arrived in the Majors. But a series of injuries has hindered him throughout his career. I have my doubts he is the answer the Marlins are looking for, but I've been around the Marlins long enough to see pitchers at the end of their careers rise from the ashes. I've also seen them only make the team worse.
However, with him starting off in New Orleans the club should get a good indication of what he has left, if anything. We will see, but I'm not expecting anything good to happen. I would love to the proved wrong.
Williamson, if he can make the squad, would fit in nicely -- he has seen ghost at the Vinoy.
This weekend, the Marlins will stay at another hotel with a history, the Renaissance Vinoy in St. Petersburg, Fla., when they play the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2002, Cincinnati's Scott Williamson claimed he saw a male apparition there.
Never can get enough good ghost stories in the clubhouse.