The Miami Marlins had a good year in 2025. They did not make the postseason, but they ended the year roughly four games away from making it. The Marlins aim to be another force in the National League this season, relying on their elite pitching. Their pitching has kept this team above water the last few seasons.
According to Jeff Passan, the Marlins have added another arm to the bullpen.
“Left-handed reliever John King and the Miami Marlins are in agreement on a one-year, $1.5 million contract, sources tell ESPN. King, 31, was nontendered by St. Louis in November and lands with the Marlins on a fully guaranteed big league deal.”
John King has pitched with two teams in his career, the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals. He owns a career 3.80 ERA out of the bullpen, not starting a single game. He's pitched 253.1 innings and has K'd up 165 hitters. His best performance of his career came in 2023 when he first got to St. Louis. He pitched a career-best 1.45 ERA in 18.2 innings. Funny enough, he pitched exactly 18.2 innings for both the Rangers and Cardinals in 2023.
Pete Fairbanks will be the closer for the Marlins. The bullpen isn't dominant, but they have some great names. Anthony Bender, Ronny Henriquez, Andrew Nardi, and Tyler Phillips can pitch very well at times.
The Marlins recently added Chris Paddack to the roster. Paddack started his career with the Marlins before being traded to the San Diego Padres, where he debuted. He was then traded to the Minnesota Twins years later. Paddack last played for the Detroit Tigers.
