Philadelphia Phillies steal some key depth pieces away from the Marlins

With free agency starting to experience a bit of a late surge due to the impending start of Spring Training, the Philadelphia Phillies have announced minor-league deals with two more veterans. Brandon Kintzler and Matt Joyce – both of whom played for the NL East rival Miami Marlins last season – will be joining the Phillies down in Clearwater this spring as they attempt to win themselves a major league job for the upcoming 2021 season.

Right off the bat, Kintzler is a name who I’d feel very confident in predicting to crack the Phillies active roster come Opening Day. A 36 year old right-handed relief pitcher who’s been in the MLB for 11 years, Kintzler is coming off back to back impressive seasons.

Kintzler posted a 2.68 ERA across 57 innings in 2019 with the Cubs (10 games finished), and then posted a 2.22 ERA across 24.1 innings with the Marlins in 2020 (21 games finished). Operating as the Marlins primary closer this past season, Kintzler also logged 12 saves – the most he’s recorded in a single season since his 2017 All-Star campaign.

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The Philadelphia Phillies have added two ex-Marlins via minor-league contracts.

While Kintzler will be turning 37 in early August, he should still be considered a fairly valuable bullpen addition at this stage of the offseason. He’s a proven veteran who has made multiple postseason appearances in the past, and he instantly provides a boost to a still bullpen-needy Phillies roster.

It was also reported that Kintzler turned down a major league contract with the Marlins to come compete for a job in Philadelphia instead.

Combine this with the fact that Bryce Harper vouched for Kintzler to the Phillies front office (they were teammates back in Washington), and I’d like to think that Kintzler’s odds of making the roster are fairly high.

Matt Joyce on the other hand was brought in to compete for a bench job in the outfield. A 13 year pro who was an All-Star way back in 2011, Joyce brings a decent amount of lefty “pop” to the Phillies organization.

Also set to turn 37 in early August, Joyce’s pathway to a major league roster spot might be a tad more challenging compared to the likes of his teammate Kintzler. The Philadelphia Phillies have a handful of young outfielders in Adam Haseley, Roman Quinn, Mickey Moniak, and even Scott Kingery who will likely dominate the reps during camp. Plus the Phillies haven’t ruled out adding another bench piece quite yet.

However, should Joyce show up to Spring Training hitting like he did for Atlanta back in 2019 (.858 OPS), it’d be quite challenging to not award him a roster spot.

Along with a handful of other players (check out the article linked above!), Kintzler and Joyce will be two names worth looking out for during camp this year. Should they impress, the former Miami Marlins will likely be cracking the Opening Day roster.