Marlins Sign 3, Still Going After High-Priced Closer
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OXON HILL (CBSMiami/AP) — The Miami Marlins may not have made a big splash in the MLB's free agent pool yet, they still remained busy as winter meetings continued.
Left-hander Jeff Locke has agreed to a one-year contract with the Marlins worth $3,025,000, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.
In addition, the Marlins agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year contract with catcher A.J. Ellis and kept right-hander Dustin McGowan for a $1.75 million, one-year contract.
Miami is still in the market for a big name closer but after Mark Melancon (Giants) and Aroldis Chapman (Yankees) got scooped up, it appears that Kenley Jansen is going to be their main target now.
Reports came out early Thursday that the Marlins had offered Jansen a contract in the area of 5 years, over $80 million.
The 29-year-old Locke had spent his entire big league career with Pittsburgh and was 9-8 with a 5.44 ERA this year in 19 starts and 11 relief appearances, his highest ERA since 2012.
His best season was 2013, when he went 10-7 with a 3.52 ERA in 30 starts, earning a spot on the NL All-Star roster.
Locke gets the same salary he had this year with the Pirates. He became a free agent when Pittsburgh failed to offer a contract by the Dec. 2 deadline.
McGowan, 34, had a 2.82 ERA in his first season with the Marlins, striking out 63 in 67 innings.
Ellis, who turns 35 in April, hit .216 with 22 RBIs this year in 64 games with the Dodgers and Philadelphia, which acquired him Aug. 25 in the trade that sent Carlos Ruiz to Los Angeles. Ellis caught many of Clayton Kershaw's starts with the Dodgers.
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