The Miami Marlins are coming off a 2018 season with possibly the worst bullpen in the major leagues. That’s a painful pill to swallow considering the investment they made in that department. Earlier this week, my colleagues Daniel Martinez and Red Garcia took us through all of the horrendous decisions made by previous ownership—the back end of the bullpen was frequently one of the weak links on an otherwise competitive roster.
Perhaps the most egregious move meant to address the major league ‘pen, the Marlins traded right-hander Chris Paddack (now one of baseball’s elite pitching prospects) for closer Fernando Rodney at the 2016 All-Star break, despite AJ Ramos posting the best stats of his career in the first half.