Marlins show interest in reliever Nick Masset

As teams close in on the start of Spring Training, they pursue unsigned veterans that they could pick up on minor league deals to give them some potential depth in the farm system. A recent example was Miami signing veteran utility man Ty Wigginton to a minor league contract with an added invitation to Spring Training. While Wiggington may add some depth to Miami's bench/farm system, the Marlins are still apparently in pursuit of possible MLB veterans that they could add to their spring training squad.

Initially reported from Fox Sports baseball insider Ken Rosenthal, the Marlins are one of two teams in pursuit of former Reds reliever Nick Masset. After being a reliable relief pitcher for the Reds for multiple seasons, Masset came down with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which causes pain in the shoulders and neck and numbness in the fingers. That syndrome rightly kept him out of the game of baseball of the majority of two seasons which was tough considering the fact that he nearly averaged a solid 1.0 WAR during his three year run with Cincinnati.

Of course, teams are tentative to offer Masset more than your standard spring training invitation because a 31 year old coming off Thoracic Outlet Syndrome really isn't that appealing. However, a team like Miami might be willing to give Masset an opportunity to showcase his skills in Spring Training which may lead to a spot in New Orleans to pitch for the Triple A affiliate.

While Miami has incredibly solid depth in the bullpen and starting rotation, there's still a spot for Masset as a possible reliever who will pitch down in Triple A but will have multiple opportunities to move back up to Miami in case of injury. Based on his overall MLB experience and effective use of a slider and fastball, Masset could be a cheap arm that Miami could add to their huge influx of pitchers. While the odds might be against Masset as he seeks an MLB comeback, he's definitely still worthy of a Spring Training invite to see if he can make some kind of impact on this Marlins team.