Early struggles won't keep this Marlins' reliever out of trade talks originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Over the offseason, the Miami Marlins and relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks came to terms on a free-agent contract. It was for one year, valued at $13 million, based on incentives.

This seemed to be a great deal, as Fairbanks was coming off a great season with the Tampa Bay Rays. He held a 2.83 ERA and had a career-high 27 saves.

However, he has not looked the part this season. He has struggled to maintain the consistency, holding a 7.88 ERA on just eight appearances so far.

MORE: Marlins get same trade rumor as last year with Sandy Alcantara despite hot start

Many of Fairbanks' run problems have come when he has pitched outside of the ninth inning. He had an opener that did not go well against the New York Yankees earlier in April, and he was tagged up a bit in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves the other week.

Outside of that, when he has pitched in the ninth inning, he has been nearly dominant. With that in mind, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller tags Fairbanks as one of the top trade candidates ahead of the deadline this year.

"From 2023-25, he was one of six pitchers to tall at least 75 saves with a sub-3.00 ERA. The others were Jhoan Duran, Josh Hader, Raisel Iglesias, Carlos Estevez and Emmanuel Clase. It's why the Marlins were willing to give him $13M this winter, expecting him to anchor their bullpen for the first four months before either continuing to serve in that role for a postseason push or becoming maybe the most coveted reliever on the market."

There are always contenders looking for elite bullpen arms at the deadline, and Fairbanks could be the hottest name for these teams. That is, if the Marlins fall out of playoff contention, and with the way they have started the season, they might just be one of those contenders.

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