Another closer out of the picture after Ziegler signs with Miami

By Mark Zuckerman

Nationals

December 16, 2016, 7:52pm

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Another potential late-inning relief option for the Nationals is now off the board after Brad Ziegler reportedly signed a two-year contract Friday night with the Marlins.

Ziegler, 37, will earn a guaranteed $16 million during the course of the deal, according to reports, plus incentives.

It's unclear whether the Nationals ever made an offer to the veteran right-hander, but he was one of the few remaining free agent relievers with closing experience. Ziegler has 85 career saves, 52 of those coming in the last two years with the Diamondbacks and Red Sox.

Ziegler hardly fits the profile of a traditional closer, with a sidewinding delivery and a fastball that barely reaches the upper 80s. But he has experience and he's had success, sporting a 2.44 ERA in 604 career major league games.

Like the Nationals, the Marlins have been seeking relief help this winter and had been shut out in their pursuits of big-name closer options like Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen. Ziegler fills a clear need for Miami, but now it leaves the Nats on the outside looking in yet again, still unsure who will pitch the ninth inning come opening day.

The Nationals' best options at this point appear to be free agent Greg Holland, who missed all of 2016 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Rays' Alex Colome and the White Sox's David Robertson. A trade for either Colome or Robertson would cost young players in return.