MIAMI _ The Miami Marlins made two more roster additions ahead of spring training, announcing the signings of veteran outfielder Matt Joyce and relief pitcher Brandon Kintzler on Monday.
To make room on the 40-man roster, relievers Jarlin Garcia and Jose Quijada have been designated for assignment.
Joyce, 35, adds another veteran and another left-handed bat to the mix as the Marlins attempt to bolster an offense that was among MLB's worst last season.
The 12-year MLB veteran, who has had stops with the Detroit Tigers (2008), Tampa Bay Rays (2009-2014), Los Angeles Angels (2015), Pittsburgh Pirates (2016), Oakland Athletics (2017-2018) and Atlanta Braves (2019), is a career .243 hitter with 145 home runs and 482 RBI over 1,311 games. Joyce was limited to just 200 at-bats last season with Atlanta.
Joyce will join a loaded outfielder crew for the Marlins at spring training. Corey Dickerson is expected to be the Marlins' everyday left fielder. Brian Anderson and Jonathan Villar could split time between third base and right field.
The rest of the contenders: Lewis Brinson, Harold Ramirez, Monte Harrison, Jesus Sanchez, Magneuris Sierra, Garrett Cooper, Jon Berti and non-roster invite Matt Kemp.
Kintzler, 35 and a 10-year MLB veteran, has a career 3.37 ERA in 424 1/3 innings over 430 career games. He has 299 career strikeouts against 110 walks. He had a 2.68 ERA in 62 games for the Chicago Cubs in 2019, giving up 17 earned runs while striking out 48 batters against 13 walks over 57 innings.
The 6-0, 194-pound righty also has 49 career saves during his time with the Milwaukee Brewers (2010-2015), Minnesota Twins (2016-2017), Washington Nationals (2017-2018) and Cubs (2018-2019) and will likely be a candidate for late-inning duties out of the bullpen.
He was an All-Star in 2017, a year in which he recorded a career-best 29 saves.
Kintzler will be the fourth new reliever on the Marlins' 40-man roster this offseason heading into spring training, joining Yimi Garcia (free agent signing), Sterling Sharp (Rule 5 draft) and Stephen Tarpley (trade with Yankees).
He also signals the latest step in the Marlins' plan to revitalize a bullpen that struggled down the stretch in a 2019 season that saw the Marlins finish with a National League-worst 57-105 record.
The collective 4.97 ERA from Marlins relievers was the fifth-worst in MLB last season. They were also the fifth worst in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.11), save percentage (55.1) and wild pitches (39) while having a 1.45 walks and hits per innings pitched that ranked in the bottom 10 of the league.
Marlins pitchers and catchers report to the club's spring training complex at Rodger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter on Feb. 12. The first full-squad practice is Feb. 17.
