Many times after jumping out to a sizable lead, the Florida Marlins’ bullpen gives fans a reason to be nervous; no matter how many innings the starter pitches.
The bullpen hasn’t been properly address by Flordia’s front office.
Most good teams have a strong bullpen. In 2007 the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series thanks to a stellar bullpen. They rarely let leads slip away.
The exact opposite is happening to Florida this season.
In my opinion, the Marlins’ pen is just stuffed with useless Triple A rejects, that we frankly have never heard of. If these guys could produce then it would be a different story, but they don’t.
The Marlins just cannot find a consistent seventh to eighth inning guy, something that needs corrected in order to start a mid-season comeback..
Its time for Florida to stop thinking about the offensive and management problems and invest its time in finding some consistent bullpen help.
Sounds easy. Well it really isn’t that hard.
The Marlins are full of young talent, including some prospects that I consider expendable or useful for trades. I say now is time to make a trade giving the club a strong lefty pitcher, and a well known eighth inning guy.
For the lefty I would like to make a controversial move: get Dontrelle Willis.
He was traded to the Arizona Diamond Backs and he hasn’t found that much success there. He also has recently been moved to the pen.
If the Diamond Backs aren’t pleased with his progress, I would strongly suggest for the Marlins to trade for him.
Willis could go back to where he was once successful and maybe make a new name for himself as a lefty specialist. If he progresses, who knows maybe a spot in the rotation awaits.
The other move that I would make involves signing a free agent.
David Weathers would be an option for me.
To sign him, it would mainly depend on what his physical conditions and throwing ability. If he proves that he can throw strikes, then the Marlins should definitely let him rejoin his old team.
The Marlins last season signed Brendan Donnelly, a 40-year-old who had almost run out of options, but when he came to the team began to producing.
My last option is not a very realistic option, but it should be heavily considered.
The Marlins have always had big interest in Matt Capps, and he is having a banner season.
The problem is that the Washingtpn Nationals are certainly hesitant to trade him. But if the Nats are out of playoff contention, then the Marlins should definitely inquire about him.
He may not be the closer for the Marlins, but would be a definite lock for the set up man role. That would give Florida a great level of stability.
All of the options mentioned are part of some wishful thinking, but the Marlins definitely need to get serious in order to get to the playoffs.
If the Marlins can get back on track then we should see a lot more consistency on the field.
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