Apparently the Miami Marlins are capable of turning one of these South Beach visits into an actual signing as the team has reportedly agreed to a 3-year/$27 million deal with former Padres closer Heath Bell.
#bbpBox_142452677962506240 a { text-decoration:none; color:#0084B4; }#bbpBox_142452677962506240 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; }#Marlins agree to 3-year $27M deal w Heath Bell, pending physical. Expected to take physical tomorrow. More to come at http://t.co/o5eb6fmG
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@jaysonstJayson Stark
Miami still has a lot of work to do but with some suggesting that their previous offers were publicity stunts, this signing shows they are serious about bringing in top talent. To that point, there was a rumor earlier today that Jose Reyes was making another stop in Miami, but apparently nothing further has materialized.
Getting back to Bell, the 34-year-old closer saved 43 games last year, good for fourth best in the NL and he did it on a team that won just 72 games.
If nothing else the former Met will be entertaining to watch, but I can’t say I’m excited to see him back in the NL East.
Photo by Michael G. Baron
What I really fear is that this creates a nightmarish domino effect as other free agents take the deal as a clear sign that Miami is serious about building a winner. Hard to argue with that thought process and as other chips fall into place South Beach could become a very attractive option for high profile players looking to make a run at winning a title. Not sure which players exactly……hmmmm, hard to think of any off the top of my head, guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
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