The Marlins have signed Chris Sampson according to the right-hander's Twitter feed. He was in camp with the Rockies last month, but they released him at the end of Spring Training.
Sampson, 32 next month, had spent his entire career with the Astros before joining Colorado. He owns a 4.42 ERA in 358 2/3 career innings, striking out 4.4 men per nine while walking just 2.2 per nine. A 51.8% ground ball rate helps make up for the lack of whiffs.
Obviously, there’s a difference, but the Fish have had recent success taking flyers on guys like Sampson (i.e. Hensley, Veras). Sampson is most likely over the hill and done, but it’s a minor league deal and the worst that can happen is he dwells in AAA until his eventual release. Either way, he prompts potential bullpen depth should the pen, which hasn’t been that bad so far, is a concern.
Also, good to see Sampson hasn’t totally given up yet. He’s never been that good but hey, he is what he is.
Sampson was decent for the Astros. He had potential, but lost it after he hit his 30’s. Good luck with your new team, Chris.