The Miami Marlins have found their closer for the 2026 season. The Athletic‘s Will Sammon reports that the Marlins have agreed to a one-year deal with right-hander Pete Fairbanks. Jeff Passan of ESPN adds that it’s a one-year deal with $13 million guaranteed.
Fish on First‘s Isaac Azout reported that the Marlins had a strong interest in Fairbanks. On the Foul Territory podcast episode for December 18, Azout said the team upped its offer to the mid-teens for a one-year deal. That push was enough to close the deal for the Marlins.
Fairbanks, 31, served as the Rays‘ primary closer for the 2023-25 seasons. Over that stretch, he pitched to a 2.98 ERA and 75 saves. In 2025, he pitched to a 2.83 ERA with a 24% strikeout rate and 25 saves, averaging 97.3 MPH on his four-seam fastball.
However, it was not enough to convince Tampa Bay to exercise an $11 million club option. It was a decision that proved to be wrong in hindsight, with Fairbanks securing an additional $2 million from the open market.
Pete Fairbanks Slots in as Miami’s Closer
The timing of the deal couldn’t have been better for both Fairbanks and the Marlins. MLB.com’s Christina DeNicola reported on December 22 that Ronny Henriquez would undergo an internal brace procedure. With their closer sidelined for all of 2026, it added urgency for the club to work out a deal with Fairbanks.
While Fairbanks will take care of the ninth innings for the Marlins, it sets up the rest of their bullpen nicely. Calvin Faucher, another former Ray, is projected as the top setup man from FanGraphs’ closer depth chart. Left-hander Andrew Nardi missed all of 2025 with elbow injuries, but is expected to play a key role in the bullpen as well.
Fairbanks, Faucher, and Nardi all solidify the back of the Marlins’ bullpen. They’ll rely on Cade Gibson, Lake Bachar, and Anthony Bender as well. Those three will pitch the middle innings primarily, but could be asked to step up based on availability in a given game.
Recapping the Marlins Offseason So Far
Fairbanks represents the Marlins’ biggest move of the offseason so far. He is the second free agent to end up in Miami, as they signed infielder Christopher Morel to a $2 million deal.
It comes as no surprise that the two free agents the Marlins have signed are former Rays. President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix was hired from the Rays organization in 2024. The Rays acquired both Fairbanks and Morel during Bendix’s tenure in Tampa Bay.
Another story to monitor from the Marlins’ offseason is the availability of their controllable starters. 2025 breakout starter Edward Cabrera is one of the top trade candidates. 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcántara is in the final guaranteed year of his contract. With solid rotation depth, the Marlins could afford to move a starter to upgrade their starting lineup.
With three years of control and frontline starter upside, Cabrera could fetch a massive return. However, barring a mind-blowing package, Bendix has no incentive to agree to any trade. Instead, they could keep Cabrera as their No. 1 starter and see if they can build off a strong finish to 2025. If everything goes right for them, they could have a repeat of 2023 and sneak into the postseason.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Marlins Replace Injured Closer with Rays Flamethrower Pete Fairbanks appeared first on Heavy Sports.