The Marlins have agreed to a two-year deal with free-agent righty Junichi Tazawa, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). He’ll earn $12MM in the contract, per Rosenthal, with $5MM in the first year and $7MM coming in the second, according to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Updated Marlins Depth Chart]
Tazawa, 30, has long carried strong strikeout-and-walk numbers, with a lifetime 8.9 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9, though he induces grounders on less than two of every five balls put in play against him. From 2012 through 2014, that steady backdrop allowed Tazawa to carry an excellent 2.62 ERA over 175 1/3 innings.
While the K/BB figures remained about the same over the ensuing two seasons, however, Tazawa has fallen off in the results department. Since the start of 2015, he has allowed 4.15 earned runs per nine. The main culprit in 2015, perhaps, was an elevated .349 batting average on balls in play against him. While that fell back to earth (.292) in 2016, Tazawa showed a new susceptibility to the long ball, allowing 1.63 homers per nine.
The Marlins could have a relative bargain on their hands if Tazawa’s earned-run dip is more fluke than fact. He was mostly dinged up last year in a six-appearance stretch in August, but finished strong and otherwise was much the same pitcher as usual. His average fastball velocity in 2016 (92.8 mph) was down slightly against prior years, but not drastically so (he had ranged between 92.2 and 93.9 over the prior four seasons). And Tazawa’s 13.0% swinging-strike rate was the second-best mark of his career.
Having missed on top-dollar closer Kenley Jansen, Miami will instead plug Tazawa — and, potentially, another as-yet-undetermined new acquisition — into the set-up corps. A solid unit is taking shape in front of presumptive closer A.J. Ramos, with Tazawa joining returning righties David Phelps and Kyle Barraclough, each of whom was excellent in 2016.
Of course, that’s not quite the potential super-pen that has been hypothesized as the Fish seemingly moved off of the idea of dealing for a high-quality starter, but there may be more yet to come from president of baseball operations Michael Hill and his staff. Having watched as former southpaw reliever Mike Dunn landed with the Rockies earlier today, it’s possible to imagine the Marlins turning their sights to the remaining market for lefty relievers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I guess they didn’t get Chapman or Jansen, so they have to find other ways to improve their bullpen.
Taz is not a way of improving your bullpen.
Guy was great for many years with Boston, just got over worked and wore down. Decent signing for the price, could bounce back and be a good arm again
Keep dreaming!!! He belongs on the Narlins because he’s a “fish” on the mound!!!
You’re a towel
It’s funkytown!
I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go and sign Holland or Logan to help the back of the bullpen, they really messed up with the Cashner trade, I think they would have been fine without doing it, then they 1 would still have all their prospects and 2 they would still have Capps in the back of the bullpen.
Nice. I was hoping for Ziegler and Feliz, but Tazawa was one of the fallback options. He gets lefties out, which has been an issue for the Marlins bullpen for years, and he has had a lot of experience in higher leverage situations. That being said, I question his health and durability moving forward, considering the overuse issues he has had with the Red Sox in the last couple of years. I hope he stays healthy. The Marlins can’t afford to have a problem there. Now we just need to go get 1 more bullpen arm, a SP, preferably Nova/Hammel, and a RH 1b option to split time with Bour, Dietrich, and Rojas at 1b. Napoli isn’t likely after they didn’t sign him last year, buy Mark Reynolds is a decent fallback option
This is a pathetic move for them. Out of all the reliever that they wanted to sign, this guy is washed up and will be overpaid
Dunn just got 19m and am thinking Taz has more life left in his arm than does Dunn, especially since Toronto isn’t in the same division any longer, the team which inflates his numbers and responsible for 3-4 dingers each and every season and not mentioned in the article..
Taz may no longer be able to touch 96-97 any longer, but he will sit 92-94 and still reach 95 when just going 1 inning and his hard splitter is still a filthy pitch. Marlins will have to be very careful about over working him is the only thing, taz was abused for several seasons.
“Quicksilver ” you are not!!! More arm than Dunn? Is your smoke from Columbia or Cuba? Tazawa is okay against average talent, but against the BEST, he’s a basket case … Good luck with this “grab bag ” effort!!!
Giddyup – It’s Colombia, tool. If you’re going to insult someone, at least have the decency to do it correctly.
Toronto is the only team that hits homeruns?
I mean you got Baltimore and the Rockies and Dunn has one of those solved
That was Uehara with the filthy split, not Tazawa
Tazawa also throws a split
Taz’s is a hard one, Koji’s is the super one and slow. I watch most every game to (have for decades). What meant was his has little separation from FB and when on, as mostly is is his K pitch.
I guess many that post here just attack without facts.. toronto literally owns taz.. they hit 5hr off of alone during the ’13 season. it must be a mind block, much like “do not” use him in the save role, as he comes unglued then as well.
Too many of the newbies.. As in members joined since Tim started this grand board post garbage without facts.
Ya there has been much more of a representation of the Internet here lately. Just a lot of hate all the time. Not as much legit conversation and actual factual info. I’m only worried about his durability, with the overuse the last couple of years
I just wanted to comment on this point you guys brought up about the changing activity that has recently been happening on this site.
I definitely agree with you guys, and I actually made a post about it in a Padres article a few days ago. There definitely seems to be a lot more hate on this site than there used to be, even amongst the smaller fanbases on here (like the Padres).
Those comments sections in the winter meetings articles were some of the worst. There was the three-way debate/soap opera going on after the Eaton trade, lots of back and forth forth jabs between fanbases after the Sale trade, and then the political drama in the Phil Bickford suspension article.
Sorry to rant, but I just wanted to comment, since it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who has noticed these things.
Tim changed mod policy awhile back. Blog writers themselves are the ones who take care of errant posts now, or were last time emailed Tim.
There was a time when some members took care of that job, but as far as I know? It’s history.
It’s also now possible to report comments, which we see pretty much immediately. But feedback is welcome. If you have thought-out opinions on the matter, I’d send an email through the contact form. Not sure what went into the self-policing idea or if that’s still a possibility.
I dont know that the issue is so much with individual comments as much as it is the general tone of the discussions. Even the comments with actual, good thought out statements include insults back and forth. I think its just the general issue we seem to have in terms of everything always having to be entirely one way or the other way. Stat guys against traditional, for example, has gotten a little out of hand
We live in a post truth era.
As the world turns, it is difficult to convince others something new might be better.
I’m actually glad the Sox moved on from this guy. Early on he was really promising but the last few seasons I had to watch him with my eyes half closed. He was one of those relievers who’s numbers looked good but always gave it up other pitchers runs and coughed it up in the clutch. He reminded me of Manny Delcarmen in that way… he was Junichi Delcarmen.
Nevertheless, as a Red Sox fan, I acknowledge that he was of major importance to the 2013 World Series run in the playoffs. You can’t deny that
Thought he would get a minor league deal
So glad Sox got rid of him. Wish they’d gotten Chapman and traded Kimbrel, who often looks like a deer in the headlights. His numbers look good on paper, but it seems like every Boston save is an adventure. There was one game toward the latter part of the season – against the Yanks – when he gave up a single, then walked two more, and then walked in a run. Farrell (finally) took him out and when he asked for the ball, Kimbrel could clearly be seen questioning him and saying “I got this.” And then, of course, slack-jawed Teixiera took Joe Kelley deep for a walk-off grand slam. Seemed like that game took the wind out of Boston’s sails and they stayed limp going into the playoffs.
This thread is making me ashamed of being a red sox fan. Dude was a big part of the 2013 World Series. You’d think he’d be shown a little respect
Wow Theo didn’t sign an ex Sox player. Shocking!! Lol
This is a significantly better signing, for this team, than jansen/chapman would have been.
Good luck to him. Deeble convinced him not to go into the Japanese draft and he was pitching in the bigs for the Sox what 2 season’s later? Big respect for him.
Sorry to say I think they burned him out.
yeah hats off to Taz, he had a great run in Boston, and Ferrell did over use him the last few years. Not sure he has much left, but come on guys give him his due. Might find new life with a change of venue
Yes!! As a Red Sox fan I am more than excited to see this guy go. Over the past several seasons, cumulative numbers aside, my butthole always seemed to pucker up a little when I saw Taz coming into the game. When he was good he was good but when he was off it could be awful to watch. Good luck and goodbye Okajima 2.0
This signing defies explanation. The one area of depth for the Marlins is right-handed middle relief. Barraclough, Phelps, McGowan, Ellington, Wittgren … all with more success than Tazawa has shown over the last two years. How does a RP with a plus 4 ERA two seasons running get a job with any team? (Let alone a $12 million contract.
Both Ziegler and Tazawa will just be trade bait in July. I can see Stanton getting moved too