MIAMI – The Marlins are reuniting with a former Draft pick to add to their pitching depth, having agreed to a one-year deal with veteran right-hander Chris Paddack, sources told MLB.com on Monday. The club has not confirmed the deal, which is worth $4 million and includes an additional $500,000 in incentives, per MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.
Paddack, who was selected by the Marlins in the eighth round of the 2015 Draft but dealt to the Padres a year later for All-Star closer Fernando Rodney, tossed a career-high 158 innings in stints with the Twins and Tigers in 2025, posting a 5.35 ERA and striking out 112 batters. Paddack, who turned 30 last month, began his career as an electric former top prospect, producing a strong 2019 rookie season (3.33 ERA and 153 strikeouts), and has solidified as a reliable back-end starter.
Across that time span, Paddack’s underlying profile has featured many of the same traits. He still doesn’t walk anybody (career 5.2 percent walk rate) and generates tons of chases out of the zone (30.4 percent).
What has changed, though, is a drop in strikeout rate, which peaked at 26.9 percent as a rookie and bottomed out at 16.7 percent last season. Paddack, however, had never dipped below a 20 percent K rate before 2025, offering hope that he can recover in that category next season.
Paddack has also seen his arsenal diversify as he’s developed more experience. Strictly a three-pitch hurler as a rookie (four-seamer, changeup and curveball), Paddack threw six different pitch types in 2025, including a slider, cutter and sinker. Based on his trajectory, he appears to be at an experimental stage of his career as he tries to bring his ERA back to his career average (4.64).
After trading Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers from their starting depth earlier this offseason, the Marlins added insurance with the Paddack agreement. Last year around this time, the Marlins did something similar by signing veteran righty Cal Quantrill. Miami used 15 different starting pitchers in 2025, although four of them served as openers.
Forty-man starting-pitching options at camp will include right-handers Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Max Meyer, Janson Junk, Bradley Blalock, Ryan Gusto and Adam Mazur, as well as left-handers Braxton Garrett and Dax Fulton.
Alcantara and Pérez are locks barring injury, and Meyer and Garrett appear to be full-go for Spring Training following their respective surgeries. Top prospects Thomas White (MLB Pipeline’s No. 17 overall prospect) and Robby Snelling (No. 39 overall) will also be part of the mix as non-roster invitees.
Paddack will become the third Major League free-agent signing for the Marlins this offseason. The organization also added late-inning reliever Pete Fairbanks and Christopher Morel, who will be tasked with learning first base.
When the deal becomes official, the Marlins will need to make a corresponding move since the 40-man roster is full.
