Marlins Sign Aaron Rowand, Trade Badenhop for Jefferies

Entering the off-season Jeffrey Loria insisted he would spend on talent needed to improve the ball club, and I suppose it’s fair to say he’s kept his word. Today proved to be yet another interesting day for the Fish and their fans, as Larry Beinfest and co. inked former Giants center-fielder Aaron Rowand to a minor league deal and long-man Burke Badenhop for minor league catcher Jacob Jefferies.

Although an intruiguing choice, the move to sign Rowand isn’t all that surprising given the Marlins lack of outfield depth and veteran presence entering Spring Training. It’s unclear if Rowand has the upper-hand in winning a job with the team, but he’s always been a solid defender and the Marlins are presumably paying him the league minimum. Rowand was cut by the Giants in August after posting a .270 wOBA on the year. It’s safe to say he’s hardly been a quality major leaguer at all since his Philadelphia days but there’s no problem in taking a flier on a guy with some upside.

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The problem with Burke Badenhop is that there was really no room for him in the Marlins pen, especially considering their recent bullpen acquisitions. If Badenhop wasn’t going to get traded he’d have been non-tendered, so credit Larry Beinfest and the Marlins brass for getting the most out of their reliever while they were able to. Jacob Jefferies, a 24-year old minor league catcher hasn’t done much of anything since he’s been a pro, and he doesn’t really have much current upside either. It was a depth move, and one that likely was made to get anything the Marlins possibly could.