Jeffrey Loria’s Miami Marlins are making moves ahead of the 2015 baseball season. They just agreed to a new 2 year contract with their left handed reliever Mike Dunn for $5.8 Million, thus avoiding arbitration.
Dunn could also make another $100, 000 in bonuses.
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The team is also rumored to be trying to sign veteran free agent reliever Francisco Rodriguez also known as “K Rod.”
Major League Baseball’s Marlins site reporter Joe Frisaro tweeted, “By avoiding arb w/ Dunn, #Marlins now have saved $1.265 mil counting Latos hearing. Could apply that toward another piece – K-Rod?”
Last season Dunn only appeared as a reliever finishing the season with a 10-6 record and a 3.16 ERA in 57 innings. He has a career ERA of 3.36.
While quality pitching is always at a premium in baseball these days, $2.9 million a year is far from a high contract for even just a fair reliever.
The Marlins have not made the post season in the last 11 years, not since winning it all in 2003 as a wild card team.
It’s not easy playing for a team which is owned by one of the 15 worst sports owners in America as Rolling Stone called Loria last November. Last year the team ranked 28th out of 30 in opening day payroll and came in 27th in Major League Baseball in attendance for the 2014 season.
Loria took the team apart a few years ago, dumping most of its payroll by trading away its top players. He once did the same thing when he was the owner of the Montreal Expos. After he destroyed that franchise they moved to Washington and changed their name to the Nationals.
Last year the Marlins came in fourth in their division with a 77-85 record.
On Rodriguez Frisaro tweeted, “Nothing is imminent, but #Marlins have touched base w/ Scott Boras about K-Rod. Club may revisit.”
At 33, K Rod has 12 MLB seasons under his belt. Last year he went 5-5 with a 3.04 ERA and 44 saves in 69 games with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Previously this off season Miami picked up veteran star outfielder and future hall of famer Ichiro Suzuki who hopes to get his 3, 000th base hit down there.
