With several teams looking to fortify their bullpen ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the Miami Marlins were in prime position to capitalize on what evolved into a bit of a seller’s market.
Dating back to the beginning of the month, the Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers, among other clubs, reportedly held preliminary trade talks on Kyle Barraclough, Adam Conley and Drew Steckenrider.
Los Angeles and other clubs were then recently said to have scouted veteran reliever Brad Ziegler. By late Monday evening, the Chicago Cubs were reported as being in advanced and fluid trade talks to acquire Ziegler.
According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the Marlins have instead traded Ziegler to the Arizona Diamondbacks:
Source: Brad Ziegler is going to Arizona. @Ken_Rosenthal said it was close.
This one is for real.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2018
This marks a second time the Diamondbacks have acquired Ziegler on deadline day, previously doing so in 2011. He remained with the team through the 2016 season, going 21-11 with 62 saves, a 2.49 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.
Ziegler is 1-5 with a 3.98 ERA, 4.59 FIP and 1.27 WHIP in 53 games this season. However, he’s been stellar of late, pitching to a 0.64 ERA over his last 28 appearances.
The veteran right-hander began the season as the Marlins closer but struggled and was removed from the role. That’s coincided with his improved results as a setup man.
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