Miami Marlins sign Wei-Yin Chen to 5-year, $80 million

The Marlins have signed free agent starter Wei-Yin Chen to a five-year deal with a vesting option for a sixth year pending a physical, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.

Wei-Yin Chen's deal with the Marlins is for five years, with a sixth-year vesting option.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 12, 2016

USA Today's Bob Nightengale notes the five-year deal is worth $80 million. The vesting option can make the deal worth $96 million, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The contract reportedly includes a opt-out after the second year.

Miami was reportedly in "active negotiations" with Chen as of Tuesday morning.

Since the end of the season, the Marlins have been seeking starting pitching. The club added Edwin Jackson last week, and now Chen will join a rotation that is expected to feature Jarred Cosart, Tom Koehler and Jose Fernandez in 2016.

Baltimore made Chen a qualifying offer, but the Marlins will not lose their No. 7 pick because it is in the top ten and protected as a result. Instead, the Orioles will have the No. 46 overall selection.

Chen, 30, pitched to a 3.34 ERA and 4.16 FIP over 191.1 innings with the Orioles last season.

The Marlins have not signed a top free agent pitcher since agreeing to add Mark Buehrle during the 2011 Winter Meetings. In the past, Miami has been hesitant to sign free agent pitchers to lengthy deals. However, Chen has proven to be durable and will give the Marlins a clear No. 2 starter.

Miami was also thought to be interested in Yaisel Sierra, but he agreed to a six-year deal with the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Adam Conley, Justin Nicolino, David Phelps and Jackson could be in the mix for the last spot in the Marlins' rotation.