February 14: Miami has announced the signing.
February 13: The Marlins have agreed to a minor-league pact with righty Brad Boxberger, per MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). He receives an invitation to MLB camp.
Boxberger, 31, is looking for a bounceback shot after a rough 2019 season. He landed a $2.2MM guarantee from the Royals last winter, coming off of an ’18 campaign in which he managed only a 4.39 ERA but picked up 32 saves and averaged 12.0 K/9 against 5.4 BB/9. But he fell flat in Kansas City, coughing up 16 earned runs in 26 2/3 innings with a 27:17 K/BB ratio before being cut loose.
Before that, Boxberger had enjoyed a rather successful six seasons in the majors. He had maintained a 3.19 ERA through 231 career frames, rarely posting eye-popping swinging-strike rates but still coming up with a mean 11.6 K/9 strikeout rate.
That past track record shows the potential upside here for the Marlins. But the question remains whether Boxberger can rediscover his former form. His precipitous strikeout decline is worrisome, particularly as it coincided with a significant drop in average fastball velocity (to 90.6 mph). Boxberger never blew fastballs by hitters, but velocity — he sat in the 93 mph range until it started to erode in 2018 — was obviously a component of his highly effective heater.
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