Miami Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix had some areas of his roster he needed to address this offseason. One of those areas was with its bullpen.
In 2025, the Marlins’ bullpen was not great compared to their starting pitching. Bendix addressed the backend of the bullpen this winter by signing Tampa Bay Rays free agent closer Pete Fairbanks to a one-year deal for $13 million. If things go well in terms of results for Fairbanks and not so well for Miami leading into the trade deadline, then Bendix has a nice trade chip at the deadline.
Bendix traded away two starters this offseason: Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs and Ryan Weathers to the New York Yankees. That will put more pressure on the rest of the rotation, as well as some younger starters. It will also put more pressure on the bullpen late in games. There is one remaining free agent relief pitcher who would be an under-the-radar addition for Bendix.
Marlins Should Consider Signing Danny Coulombe for Bullpen Depth
Danny Coulombe | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Veteran left-hander Danny Coulombe remains a free agent and is as good a southpaw out of the bullpen as there is remaining in free agency. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report believes the fit is too good for both the player and team.
“Of the 11 pitchers who led the Marlins in innings pitched in 2025, zero were left-handed. They do hope to have Andrew Nardi back after he missed all of last season with a back injury, but if that’s Plan A in the “southpaw reliever” department, why not at least take a flyer on Coulombe?” wrote Miller.
The 36-year-old Coulombe is coming off a good 2025 season, combined with the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers. He had a 2.30 ERA combined between both teams in 43 innings with 43 strikeouts and a 1.4 WAR. He was very good for the Twins with a 1.16 ERA in 40 appearances and a 1.6 WAR before being traded to the Rangers at the deadline.
Miami clearly needs bullpen help for 2026, and Coulombe is someone who could work in high-leverage situations for a couple of batters, but he could also be a long-relief pitcher in games. Second-year manager Clayton McCullough would welcome more options, but one downside to Coulombe is that he is often injured.
However, if the Marlins are going to surprise again in 2026 and compete for a playoff spot, they’ll need a deeper bullpen, and a healthy Coulombe provides that.
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