Marlins, Pete Fairbanks agree to $13 million contract in free agency

The Miami Marlins have done some things in free agency, and they are not done adding talent to the roster. That shows with the latest move they made, signing Pete Fairbanks away from the Tampa Bay Rays, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

“Reliever Pete Fairbanks and the Miami Marlins are in agreement on a one-year, $13 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Fairbanks, 32, had an $11 million option turned down by Tampa Bay and went onto the open market and beat it by $2 million. Will Sammon was first on the deal,” Passan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Fairbanks had three straight seasons with at least 23 saves, and had the third-most saves in franchise history with 90, as well as the fourth-most games pitched. There’s no doubt that he got better every year since he was drafted in 2015, but the one thing that seemed to hold him back was injuries.

He was on the injured list in each season from 2021 to 2024, but he was healthy this past season. That’s where he was able to set a career high with 61 appearances and 60 1/3 innings.

In 2025, Fairbanks had a 2.83 ERA and 27 saves in 32 chances.

Fairbanks should be able to help the Marlins, especially since they will be without right-handed reliever Ronny Henriquez, who had Tommy John surgery and will miss the entirety of next season.

As for the Rays, it will be interesting to see what they do after turning down his option, as it seems like they have some moves up their sleeve to improve their roster.

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