The Miami Marlins have acquired RHP Adam Cimber from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for cash considerations.
While the Indians are rumored to be making a big trade this offseason, that was supposed to include Francisco Lindor, not Cimber. Acquired in July of 2018 with Brad Hand, who the organization also just said goodbye to recently, Cimber earned the trust of manager Terry Francona as a middle reliever. Cimber was one of the few pitchers that would be affected by the three batter minimum rule, as Francona loved to alternate Cimber and Oliver Perez against left and right handers. In 2019, Cimber faced 182 right handed batters, with a 3.30 ERA, but had an 8.31 ERA against lefties, who he pitched against 62 times. Those splits oddly changed in 2020, as Cimber had a 2.25 ERA against LHB, and a 4.91 number against batters sharing his handedness. This sudden change can be seen as an increase in effectiveness in Cimber\’s fastball, a pitch predominantly used against lefties. Cimber does not look like anything more than a 6th-7th inning reliever, so getting money when the team needs it was the decision the front office went with.
The Marlins bullpen was crowded in 2020, and even for a 162 game season, they used an alarming amount of pitchers. 37 guys took the mound for them in 60 games, which is impressively high, considering that four (Brandon Kintzler, James Hoyt, Nick Vincent and Brad Boxberger) pitched in more than 20 of those games. The Marlins could be using Hoyt, Cimber\’s teammate last year in Cleveland, as an example of a buy-low pitcher who could have some success with them. Hoyt had a 1.23 ERA in 2020. To add Cimber to the 40-man roster, former Opening Day starter Jose Urena, who had an ERA over 5.00 in 2019 and 2020, was designated for assignment.
Cimber, 30, had a 3.97 ERA with five strikeouts and a 1.324 WHIP in 11.1 innings for the Indians in 2020. In his MLB career for the Indians and San Diego Padres, Cimber has a 3.89 ERA with 104 strikeouts and a 1.284 WHIP in 136.1 innings.
CarterHud 