Miami Marlins would benefit from adding a closer

They tried it once but perhaps they should consider it again.

The Marlins signed Heath Bell to close games in 2012. He consistently struggled before the Marlins moved him while being forced to pay a significant portion of his remaining salary. As the off season approaches, maybe taking a similar approach would prove to be beneficial.

According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, there is "internal sentiment to trying to upgrade at closer." Using Carter Capps and A.J. Ramos as setup men has been discussed and would likely make the Marlins' bullpen even better heading into 2016.

Miami opened the season with Steve Cishek as its closer, and the decision to trade him to St. Louis likely came because he was getting expensive and the Marlins felt Ramos would be able to have success late in games. Ramos has had a fair amount of success, but adding another dominant arm would likely make the bullpen that much better.

Ramos, 29, saved 32 contests in 2015 while pitching to a 2.30 ERA and 3.01 FIP over 70.1 innings. As most closers do at some point in the lengthy season, Ramos struggled a bit in the middle of the summer. However, he was able to bounce back and pitch well in the final weeks of the season.

While Ramos will likely be the favorite to be the closer, Capps should also be considered. When the Marlins acquired him in the Logan Morrison deal with the Mariners, they expected he would be closing games for them in the near future. He has been plagued by elbow injuries and inconsistencies, but when healthy, Capps could be dominant.

At just 25, Capps pitched to a 1.16 ERA and 1.10 FIP over 31.0 innings. It is a relatively small sample size, and a lack of experience over the last few seasons as a result of injuries could result in the Marlins not considering Capps when it comes to closing games.

Although adding a top closer would improve Miami's bullpen, it might not be realistic given the cost involved. Tyler Clippard, Jonathan Broxton, Neftali Feliz, Jim Johnson, Fernando Rodney and Joakim Soria are among the free agent closers who will be available. However, each will likely be expensive and many if not all could be out of the Marlins' price range.

A trade is also an option, but the Marlins likely do not have the depth necessary to get a larger deal done.

If another top bullpen arm is added, the Marlins might have to deal with player dissatisfaction. Ramos might feel as if he lost his job and never had an opportunity and in an extreme case could request to be moved.

The Marlins have several young arms to consider while piecing together their 2016 bullpen. Ramos and Capps are almost certainly assured a job, but their roles might change.

Miami took a shot and signed a top closer before 2012. The organization might have better results the second time around.