GM Kim Ng’s ‘Christmas morning’ arrives as Miami Marlins begin spring training

For the past three months, new Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng has worked from a distance to upgrade the roster she now oversees.

The bullpen that needed vast improvements is practically brand new. A new slugger became the final piece of a veteran-laden trio of starting outfielders. The young rotation, promising infield and stacked minor-league system viewed as one of the best in baseball remains as well.

Now, for the first time, she’ll get to see it how it all develops in person. The Marlins’ first pitchers and catchers workout of spring training takes place at Jupiter’s Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex on Thursday as they prepare to build on a shortened 2020 season that saw them make the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.

Pitchers and catchers officially reported on Wednesday following a five-day in-house quarantine as part of MLB’s enhanced health and safety protocols for the season as the coronavirus pandemic still impacts the United States.

“I feel like a kid on Christmas,” Ng said. “This is my Christmas morning. We’ve talked about these guys quite a bit, every day for the last three months. Finally, I get to see them live.”

And the moves kept coming Wednesday.

The Marlins acquired 27-year-old right-handed reliever pitcher John Curtiss from the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday in exchange for first baseman prospect Evan Edwards, their fourth-round pick in 2019. The team also formally announced the signing of outfielder Adam Duvall to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2022, which completes the veteran outfielder trio along with Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte (although Garrett Cooper will split time between first base and the outfield so that Duvall, Cooper and first baseman Jesus Aguilar all get adequate playing time and rest).

The Marlins placed relief pitcher Jeff Brigham on the 60-day injured list and designated outfielder Harold Ramirez for assignment to make room for Curtiss and Duvall on the 40-man roster.

Curtiss, under team control through the 2025 season, posted a 1.80 ERA over 25 innings in 17 games) for the Rays during the 2020 regular season. He held opponents to a .233 batting average and struck out 25 while walking three. His 3 percent walk rate last season ranked in the top percentile of pitchers.

The Rays used him in a slew of roles last season. He was used as an opener three times. He was used as a closer twice, converting both save opportunities. He had five outings in which he threw at least two innings. He finished seven of the 17 games in which he played.

Curtiss also made nine playoff appearances (one start) for the Rays as they made a run to the World Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.

He primarily relies on a four-seam fastball that averages 94 mph and a slider that sits around 85 mph. He threw 68.8 percent of his pitches last season for strikes.

He’s the latest reliever the Marlins have acquired this offseason, joining Anthony Bass, Dylan Floro, Adam Cimber, Ross Detwiler, Zach Pop and Paul Campbell to join Yimi Garcia, Richard Bleier and James Hoyt. That’s 10 players for essentially eight bullpen spots and a group manager Don Mattingly is optimistic about.

“We’ve been just kind of kept putting quality guys into it,” Mattingly said. “I think kind of sneakily almost. ... We feel like almost every guy that we put into our pen can pitch late in the game.”

Bass, Floro and Curtiss, along with Garcia, all figure to be the front runners for late-inning, high-leverage roles with the Marlins. Bass, signed for a two-year deal in January, has a 3.44 ERA over the last three years and has converted 12 saves in that span. Floro, acquired in a trade with the Dodgers on Friday, has a career 3.33 ERA and had a 2.59 mark over 25 games out of the bullpen last year for the World Series champions.

Garcia, the lone internal candidate for the closer job, posted a 0.60 ERA over 15 innings last season — all as a late-inning reliever — and has a 3.40 ERA over his six-year MLB career as he heads into his final season before free agency.

And while the primary focus is on assembling the best 26-man roster for Opening Day — the main competitions will be at second base, the backup outfielder spots and finalizing the bullpen — the Marlins coaching staff and front office will get a solid look at their future as well. Twenty-three of the Marlins’ top-30 prospects according to Baseball America will be part of big-league camp, including 18 of the top 20.

“I’d love to see consistent effort, love to see what what their tools are, what they bring to the table again how they react in certain situations,” Ng said. “And you know I do want them to relax and be themselves and hopefully all of that will shine through. I’m sure it will. But, again, to just see them in live games is going to be great.”

The balance of present and future is a sign that Year 4 of the rebuild is underway.

“There is a level of excitement,” Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said, “and we need to continue to build on that.”