Miami Marlins Need To Make Themselves An Aroldis Chapman

Making Their Own Aroldis Chapman

Once upon a time, the Miami Marlins were rumored to be heavily interested in Aroldis Chapman.

Well, actually they were rumored to be heavily interested in him twice. In 2017, Miami went after Chapman and Kenley Jansen, looking for an elite closer to help replace Jose Fernandez. Instead, they ended up using that Chapman/Jansen money to hilariously overpay Brad Ziegler and Junichi Tazawa in deals that probably cemented the need for that 2018 rebuild. Chalk that up to another example of overpaying.

In terms of Chapman, Miami’s instincts were right though. Just as they were when they were trying to sign him out of Cuba back in 2010. Back when he was a starting pitcher.

Now, it became clear very early to big league teams that he would be best utilized out of the pen. The result? Five years of elite production, vastly outperforming his contract, with four All-Star nods and a ring.

That’s what Miami failed to do with highly valued prospect Andrew Miller, failed to do with functional prospect Brad Hand, and have largely failed to do throughout their history. Quickly develop a top closer and maximize value. Nenn comes closest to qualifying.

The Miller comp is really illustrative here. Hand at least came up at a time when Miami was thin at starting pitcher. Miller very much did not. Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, Ricky Nolasco, and to a lesser extent even Scott Olsen and Chris Volstad all contributed excellent to quality work for Miami during Miller’s years as a failed starter. All during seasons where a stronger bullpen might have been enough to secure a playoff berth. Maybe more.

So why not jump the line? Miami already has an impressive starting rotation headlined by Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez. Behind them, a trio of young arms grace the MLB Top 100 list of prospects. Before being traded last year, Caleb Smith would have been my preferred pick for this move. Now, though? Why not put Sixto Sanchez or Max Meyer on the fast track to locking down the closer’s role for Miami?

If this offseason has proven anything, it’s that this Marlins front office is not going to spend big money on a closer. Unfortunately, while it’s comforting to know there won’t be another Heath Bell signing in Miami, that doesn’t change the fact that a great closer is key to consistent success as a franchise.

Which means that if they’re never going to spend Aroldis Chapman money on a free agent, they better get busy making their own Aroldis Chapman as soon as possible.