Marlins Bolster 'Pen with Brad Ziegler

Over the course of a couple of days, the Marlins have revamped their bullpen, re-signing Dustin McGowan and adding former Red Sox relievers Junichi Tazawa and Brad Ziegler for a total of $29.75 million. Ziegler, whose deal is worth $16 million over two years but could grow with incentives, is the best of the three. The sidearming right hander has been fairly inconsistent during his career, but overall he's been very effective in shutting down opponents. Last year, he put up a 2.82 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in 36 appearances for the Diamondbacks, who traded him to the Red Sox midseason. Over 33 appearances, he only got better, dropping his ERA to 1.52 and his WHIP to 1.25, bringing his season's marks to 2.25 and 1.37, respectively. His numbers with the Red Sox were much more indicative of what the Marlins can expect, given his career trends. At 37 years old, Ziegler is not an elite closer on the level of Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, or Mark Melancon, but he's competent enough at what he does for the Marlins, or any team for that matter, to feel comfortable with him closing games. For his career, the Missouri State University product is 34-28 with a 2.44 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and 85 saves over 604 appearances.