The Miami Marlins bullpen betrayed them toward the end of the 2016 season. Midsummer acquisition Fernando Rodney disappointed in his late-inning role (36.2 IP, 5.89 ERA, 4.97 FIP, 5 HR allowed). Even their best arms struggled in high-leverage situations—the Fish went 7-15 over their final 22 one-run games. All of a sudden, a team with legitimate playoff aspirations plunged below the .500 mark.
Vowing to change that, Miami entered 2017 focused on reinforcing that relief corps. The front office flirted with adding a stud closer in free agency to complement a strong nucleus. Ultimately, the Marlins signed Junichi Tazawa and Brad Ziegler.