Miami

Marlins Swing and Miss on Big Name Closers

The Marlins made attempts to reel in multiple big name closers and ended up with none

The Miami Marlins recently tried to land several game-changing closers and ended up striking out.

Miami was interested in the services of Mark Melancon, Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman over the past week and all three went elsewhere. There were reports that the Marlins offered the most money to Jansen and Chapman, and still couldn't get deals done.

The Marlins have multiple glaring needs on the roster and an improved bullpen is on the list. Adding a superstar to the back of the pen may have helped decencies in the rotation, but that is not going to be an option this off-season. Jansen and Chapman had the ability to help Miami former a "super pen" of sorts, but will instead help Los Angeles and New York respectively.

Chapman decided to return to the New York Yankees during last week's Winter Meetings, while Jansen reportedly agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday morning. Melancon signed early in the meetings with the San Francisco Giants after some talk of Miami's interest in him.

With the big closers off the market, it appears the Marlins will stick with A.J. Ramos as the closer. The team could still add some arms to the pen, but it is unlikely that any would replace Ramos in the ninth inning. The veteran was solid last year and would have slid into an eighth inning role if Miami landed a big arm.

The Marlins could make a trade for a reliever, but that appears to be an unlikely route. With a shaky offense in place and a thin minor league system, the Marlins would not be trading from an area of strength in any transaction. Miami could also be in the market for another starting pitcher even after adding Edinson Volquez and Jeff Locke recently.

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