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Miami has been interested in adding to its bullpen since the start of spring training, and the club had been linked to Francisco Rodriguez. While Rodriguez ultimately opted to resign with the Brewers, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman notes the Marlins made Rodriguez a two-year, $10 million contract offer.
Marlins made try at k-rod, offering 2 yrs at $10M
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) March 2, 2015
Rodriguez, 33, posted a 3.04 ERA and 4.50 FIP in 68.0 innings pitched with the Brewers a season ago. He also closed 44 games, and would have added an experienced arm to the back of the Marlins' bullpen. However, the Marlins are confident in their bullpen, which will feature Steve Cishek, Bryan Morris, Mike Dunn, and A.J. Ramos in 2015. The Marlins could also look to add another left-handed relief option, although the organization is confident in Rule 5 draft pick Andrew McKirahan.
Although the Marlins did win their arbitration cases with Mat Latos and David Phelps, Rodriguez's desired contract was likely too costly for Miami. The Marlins offered him $5 million a season, though Rodriguez had reportedly been seeking a deal that paid him $10 million for one season. He settled on a two-year, $13 million deal with a club option for 2017 with the Brewers.
Steve Cishek has evolved as one of the best closers in baseball, with a group of productive setup options in front of him. Adding Rodriguez would have given the Marlins depth and experience, however Dunn, Morris, or Ramos could close a game if Cishek were to get overused and became unavailable to pitch in the ninth inning. The Marlins could still look to add to their bullpen. But the unit was efficient in 2014 and is expected to produce consistently again in 2015.
Entire 40-man roster signed
Miami agreed to one-year contracts with 23 players, and after renewing the contracts of Sam Dyson and Adeiny Hechavarria, now have all 40 members of the 40-man roster under contract for 2015.