Marlins, Yonny Chirinos Agree To Minor League Deal

The Marlins are in agreement with right-hander Yonny Chirinos on a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp, reports Christina De Nicola of MLB.com (X link). A client of MDR Sports Management, he had been non-tendered by the Braves over the offseason.

Chirinos looks for a bounceback after a frustrating 2023 campaign. The 30-year-old hurler had missed most of the 2020-22 seasons on account of elbow injuries. He first suffered a ligament tear that required Tommy John surgery. While rehabbing from that procedure, he fractured his elbow. Chirinos made it back at the tail end of the 2022 campaign and ostensibly began last year at full strength, but his results weren’t what they’d been before the surgery.

In 15 appearances with Tampa Bay, Chirinos posted a 4.02 ERA across 62 2/3 innings. That’s solid enough run prevention but came with a well below-average 11.8% strikeout rate. Chirinos surpassed the five-year MLB service threshold midseason, giving him the right to decline future assignments to the minor leagues. Without that roster flexibility, the Rays designated him for assignment in July. Atlanta nabbed him off waivers.

Chirinos’ time with the Braves was brief. He started five games but was tagged for a 9.27 ERA over 22 1/3 frames. Atlanta placed him on the injured list with inflammation in his elbow. That ended his season and ultimately his tenure with the organization, as they cut him loose at year’s end.

Early in his career, the Venezuelan-born hurler was a solid swing option for Tampa Bay. Chirinos pitched to a 3.71 ERA across 233 innings covering the 2018-19 seasons. His 21% strikeout percentage wasn’t far off the major league average and he showed excellent control, limiting the walks to a 5.9% clip.

Miami will take a low-risk look to see if Chirinos can put the elbow concerns behind him and recapture something like his early-career form. He becomes the latest in a handful of former Tampa Bay players acquired by Miami’s new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, who’d been the Rays’ GM before taking over baseball operations in South Florida. If Chirinos cracks the big league roster at any point, the Fish would need to keep him in the majors or make him available to other clubs via trade or waivers.