3 Free Agent Relievers for the Marlins to Target This Winter
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The Miami Marlins have some key roster decisions coming up this winter for the 2026 season. What do they do with starting pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera? Do they hold onto them and have them headline the rotation, or do they move them?
They also have decisions to make with the bullpen, and they will likely need to target some depth in free agency. Here are three targets that the Marlins could consider for the 2026 season.
1. Sean Newcomb: LHP
One pitcher who had an up-and-down year was Sean Newcomb. He spent the beginning of the season with the Boston Red Sox, where he struggled as a spot starter and out of the bullpen. He was traded to the Athletics, where he pitched better for the rest of the season.
His splits between the Red Sox and Athletics are noticeable. In Boston, he had an ERA of 3.95 in 41 innings pitched and allowed 24 runs in 12 appearances. With the Athletics, he had 36 appearances with a 1.75 ERA, a 2-1 record in 51.1 innings with a 50 to 14 strikeout to walk ratio.
Newcomb was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation late in the season, but if he's healthy, he's a low-risk, high-reward player that the Marlins could take a chance on.
2. Kenley Jansen: RHP
After spending the last two seasons in Boston, Kenley Jansen returned to Los Angeles for the 2025 season, but not with the Dodgers, where he was a premier closer, but instead with the Angels.
He had 29 saves this year and worked 59 innings in 62 appearances with a 2.59 ERA and a 57 to 19 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has collected 476 career saves and still has the stuff to be a dominating closer at 38 years old. Miami could sure up the backend of their bullpen with Jansen, who will look. to get closer to 500 career saves in 2026.
3. Devin Williams: RHP
This may seem like the longest shot of the three, but Devin Williams is a name that struggled with the New York Yankees at times this year, which forced the front office to target bullpen help at the trade deadline.
Williams had a 4.79 ERA during the regular season, which was too high for New York, in 62 innings pitched with 90 strikeouts and 18 saves. He was better in the postseason against Boston and the Toronto Blue Jays in four innings, not allowing a run and just three hits, and he struck out four. Like Jansen, he could lock down the closer role.
Miami is going to have multiple options this winter to add to the bullpen, but swinging for a closer or spot starter feels like a route the front office needs to go down.
