Marlins Should Buy Low on High-Profile Reliever in Free Agency
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This offseason could be an exciting one for Miami Marlins fans.
It was reported that the ownership group is expected to green light some spending by the front office this winter, which could allow this roster to be augmented by adding some established players to boost the young core that's in place.
First base and high-leverage relievers are expected to be the top targets, and with multiple notable names at those positions set to hit the open market across Major League Baseball, the Marlins have no shortage of options if they actually do operate in that fashion.
Someone they should go after who would transform this bullpen is Ryan Helsley, the 2024 Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year winner with the St. Louis Cardinals who was traded to the New York Mets ahead of this season's trade deadline.
Marlins Should Pursue Ryan Helsley
What's interesting about Helsley heading into free agency is that he was atrocious for the Mets, putting up a 7.20 ERA across 22 appearances. His ERA+ was 43 points below the league average of 100, which highlights just how poorly he performed.
Miami got a front row seat to some of that since they played New York multiple times in the second half of the year. But that should not make them shy away from going after the flamethrowing reliever this offseason.
For one, that poor performance was just a small blemish on an otherwise impressive resume. Even with those Mets numbers, Helsley still owns a career ERA of 2.96 across 297 big league appearances. He's also gone 105-for-132 in save opportunities and has a K/9 ratio of 10.6.
Simply put, the right-hander is one of the top arms available this winter, and the Marlins should take advantage of the perception that he might have lost a step. Spotrac has put his market value at three years and around $41 million, which is still a hefty price tag, but one that is likely lower than it would have been if he hadn't struggled in New York.
Some advanced numbers also indicate that he could be in for a bounce back performance wherever he ends up next season, as his expected ERA on the year was 3.86 across 58 outings and 56 innings pitched compared to his actual mark of 4.50.
Miami has plenty of high-end starting arms on their current MLB roster and coming up the pipeline, so they should be spending money on bullpen pieces like they are planning to do this winter. And it would be hard to find a better option than Helsley if they want to be aggressive.
