The Miami Marlins are desperately looking for some offense to complement their excellent and deep rotation.
However, they shouldn’t stop paying attention to their bullpen.
That’s why they have set their sights in a formerly elite pitcher trying to regain his place among MLB’s best: left-handed closer Aroldis Chapman.
“Marlins are among a few teams considering Aroldis Chapman, who lives in South Florida,” MLB insider Jon Heyman tweeted.
Marlins are among a few teams considering Aroldis Chapman, who lives in South Florida
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 17, 2023
Chapman is Cuban, and would love to be closer to home.
In fact, he lives in South Florida, so geographically, signing with the Marlins would make perfect sense for him.
They are not looking like instant contenders, but are on their way to fight for a postseason spot in a year or two provided they can find impactful bats.
That can entice a pitcher like Chapman.
The problem with him is that he has been losing effectiveness for three straight seasons.
In the pandemic season, he had a 3.09 ERA (his highest since 2017) while striking out 16.97 hitters per nine innings.
The 2021 campaign represented a huge roadblock for him, specifically the ban to use foreign substances on the ball.
His control was never the same and he had a 3.36 ERA.
Last year, he posted an uncharacteristically high 4.46 ERA, the highest of his career, in 36.1 innings.
His strikeout power diminished, as he fell to 10.65 per nine frames.
That was also a career-low.
The Marlins would need to work with him to help gain some consistency with his delivery and gripping the ball, but Chapman does have some bounce-back potential.
Will he end up going home to Miami?
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