Report: Marlins agree to 2-year, $16M deal with Ziegler
Hours after finalizing a two-year contract with Junichi Tazawa, the Miami Marlins continued to bolster their bullpen by agreeing to a two-year deal worth $16 million - plus incentives - with right-hander Brad Ziegler, according to a source of FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
The 37-year-old Ziegler will earn $7 million in 2017 and $9 million in 2018 if he passes his pending physical, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports reports.
Ziegler, a side-winding right-hander who finished fifth in Major League Baseball in ground ball percentage (63.3 percent) last season to go along with a 2.25 ERA, will join a Marlins bullpen that finished eighth in the National League in ERA.
Marlins' projected bullpen in '17
| PITCHER | G | IP | ERA | WHIP | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Ziegler | 42 | 68 | 2.25 | 1.39 | 58 |
| Junichi Tazawa | 53 | 49.2 | 4.17 | 1.23 | 54 |
| A.J. Ramos | 52 | 64 | 2.81 | 1.36 | 73 |
| Kyle Barraclough | 75 | 72.2 | 2.85 | 1.23 | 113 |
| David Phelps | 64 | 86.2 | 2.28 | 1.14 | 114 |
| Dustin McGowan | 55 | 67 | 2.82 | 1.22 | 63 |
| Jose Urena | 28 | 83.2 | 6.13 | 1.43 | 58 |
The veteran Ziegler - who saved 18 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season before he was traded to the Boston Red Sox - gives manager Don Mattingly another option to use at closer, as it's presumed he, along with Tazawa and A.J. Ramos, will all get a chance to win the role out of spring training.
Over the course of nine seasons in the big leagues, Ziegler owns a 34-28 record with a 2.44 ERA, 85 saves, and a 1.23 WHIP.