When Wei-Yin Chen signed with the Miami Marlins during the 2015 offseason, it was viewed as a safe, and positive step in the right direction. He gave the Marlins another legitimate pitcher in the rotation behind Jose Fernandez, a dependable number two or three pitcher, locked into a five year contract.
A closer look at Chen’s contract revealed that it was a classic “Jeffery Loria/Miami Marlins” type contract. Back-loaded, and without a no-trade clause in place. This meant that we’d likely have Chen for the first three seasons of that five year contract, then move him to a contending team looking for help in the short-term.