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The Marlins have exercised their $1.5 million club option on catcher Jeff Mathis, according to a team announcement. Mathis will return to Miami for his third season in Miami after being acquired in the Mark Buehrle-Jose Reyes-Josh Johnson blockbuster two winters ago.
Mathis, 31, posted a .200/.263/.274 line with two home runs and 12 RBI in 64 games with the Marlins in 2014. He will return to the team as a backup to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, working as a mentor for young catching prospect J.T. Realmuto instead of testing the free agent market.
In ten major league seasons with the Angels (2005-2011), Blue Jays (2012) and Marlins (2013-2014), Mathis is the owner of a lifetime .196/.256/.307 line with 41 home runs and 207 RBI. He is known as an above average defender from behind the plate, so the Marlins likely brought him back due to his defensive value.