Report: Marlins showing interest in Ziegler, Uehara

With Mark Melancon off the free-agent board after signing a long-term deal with the San Francisco Giants on Monday, Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen remain as the top closers on the open market, but two other relievers with plenty of closing experience are also drawing interest.

The Miami Marlins, who have been front and center in rumors surrounding Kenley Jansen, are also interested in right-handers Brad Ziegler and Koji Uehara, sources told MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.

"I think we're exploring everything at this point," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. "The names that are out there, there's a lot of quality. I think as we look to improve our club, we're exploring every option.

"We know the challenges in the starting market. If there is an opportunity to maybe build things from the back end forward, I think that's what we're exploring."

The 37-year-old Ziegler had another outstanding year split between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox, posting a 2.25 ERA, which included 22 saves across 68 innings of work. He's already reportedly drawn interest from the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays.

Uehara, 41, posted the highest ERA (3.45) of his MLB career since 2011 with the Red Sox last season, but still managed to strike out 12.1 hitters per nine innings during 50 appearances while saving seven games.

Miami has been linked to closers to fill its ninth-inning role throughout much of the offseason, despite A.J. Ramos saving 40 games for the club a season ago en route to an All-Star appearance. The 30-year-old struggled in August 2016, posting a bloated 8.22 ERA, but turned things around to end the year.

The Marlins finished second in baseball in blown saves (29) behind only the San Francisco Giants.