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The Marlins are having their share of closer issues. It's gotten so bad that closer Steve Cishek was informed yesterday that he was losing the closer role according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
Cishek has three saves in seven opportunities, with four blown. This is a far cry from 2014, where Cishek had four blown saves all year in 43 opportunities.
In his place, the Marlins are going to use internal options of A.J. Ramos, Mike Dunn, and Bryan Morris in a mix-and-match bullpen, according to Spencer. Ramos will get the bulk of the opportunities according to the report.
That hasn't stopped the Marlins from looking to external options as well. Yesterday it was reported that the Marlins reached out to former Nationals closer Rafael Soriano.
Late last night, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com confirmed Miami's interest and work toward a deal:
Not sure how talks will progress, but #Marlins very much engaged in discussions for Rafael Soriano
— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) May 13, 2015
Soriano isn't the only reliever that makes sense for the Marlins. If things with Soriano don't pan out, there are a number of options on the trade market for the Marlins to explore.
Atop the list is current Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon, whose name has been in trade rumors since last winter. Papelbon is six for six on save opportunities, pitching in 13 games this season. An inter-division trade always has it's share of skepticism.
If the Marlins wanted to go another direction, they could look to the struggling Milwaukee Brewers. The front office has already been telling other teams that veterans like Kyle Loshe and Francisco Rodriguez are available.
Rodriguez would be another ideal fit for the Marlins. He fits a need, the team is looking to move him, and the trade wouldn't be in the same division.
While Soriano seems like the number one option for the Marlins, they have a number of quality backup plans that they can circle back to later on. For a team that is ready to compete, they don't have much time to waste in shoring up their bullpen and putting together victories.