Disappointed but not surprised: the Marlins have declined Brandon Kintzler’s club option for the 2021 season (first reported by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers). Instead of guaranteeing him a $4 million salary, they are paying a $250,000 buyout and leaving the door open for him to stick around at a lower price.
I analyzed Kintzler’s season here and won’t bother repeating everything. In a nutshell, he was as effective in 2020 as anybody could have realistically hoped, consistently inducing ground balls and stepping up in high-leverage situations. That combined with his lengthy track record and the Marlins’ other bullpen concerns seemingly make him a good fit for them moving forward (even with the expectation that his 2.