The Miami Marlins signed Chris Paddack to a one-year deal as rotation depth after offseason trades, betting on health, innings, and upside in 2026.
The Miami Marlins didn’t chase a splash signing this late in the offseason. Instead, they made a calculated, very on-brand move on Monday by agreeing to a one-year deal with right-hander Chris Paddack, a signing that speaks less about star power and more about innings, stability, and upside.
At $4 million, with incentives pushing the total to $4.5 million, this is exactly the type of low-risk bet Miami needed after trading away rotation depth earlier this winter.
The Marlins weren’t shopping for a savior. They were shopping for someone who can take the ball every fifth day and survive a full season -- something that quietly matters a lot for a pitching staff with health questions throughout.
There’s also a bit of organizational symmetry here. Paddack returns to the franchise that drafted him in 2015 before shipping him to San Diego in the Fernando Rodney deal. Nearly a decade later, he’s back in South Florida with a far different resume: two Tommy John surgeries, flashes of promise, and a recent season that was ugly on paper, but not entirely without context.
Paddack’s 2025 numbers -- a 5.35 ERA across 33 appearances split between Minnesota and Detroit -- won’t inspire confidence on their own. His strikeout rate dipped, his changeup lost bite, and hitters punished mistakes that once slipped by. Still, he logged a career-high workload and stayed off the injured list for the first time in years. For a Marlins team that watched starters drop like dominoes in recent seasons, availability alone carries value.
Fit matters too. Pitching half of his games at spacious loanDepot Park should help blunt the home-run issues that plagued him elsewhere. Paddack has never been overpowering, but he attacks the zone, limits walks, and doesn’t beat himself. That profile plays better in Miami than it did in smaller American League parks.
More importantly, this signing doesn’t block anyone. Clayton McCullough enters his second season needing flexibility, not commitments. Eury Pérez and Sandy Alcántara anchor the rotation, while Max Meyer and Braxton Garrett return from surgeries.
Behind them sits a wave of young arms with upside, but also uncertainty. Paddack fits cleanly as a fifth starter who can absorb innings early and step aside if someone forces the issue.
That’s the real takeaway. This isn’t about reclaiming the 2019 version of Chris Paddack. It’s about buying time, protecting young arms, and giving the Marlins a professional, experienced option in a rotation that desperately needs reliability.
For Miami, that’s a smart, realistic move, and exactly the kind of signing that quietly keeps a season from unraveling by June.
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