On Monday the Florida Marlins continued to add to their bullpen in hopes of a steadier performance in 2009. At the GM Winter Meetings, the Marlins claimed LHP Dan Meyer off of waivers from the Oakland Athletics. Though used as a starter at times by the Athletics, the Marlins intend to use him exclusively in the bullpen.

The 27 year old Meyer was 0-4 in 4 starts last season for Oakland, with an ERA of 7.48. Meyer is better than his ERA would suggest however. When used out of the bullpen Meyer was much more effective going 2-3 innings instead of 5+ innings.

Meyer will be thrown into the Marlins’ bullpen in Spring Training and will compete with fellow lefties Renyel Pinto, Taylor Tankersley, and minor league prospect Aaron Thompson to see who will be the top left handed reliever for the team. Regardless of whether he wins the top spot or not, one of the Marlins biggest problems last season was a lack of depth in the bullpen, especially among left handers (a coveted possession in any teams bullpen). Renyel Pinto had the burden of carrying the majority of the work load last season and burned out. Pinto might very well come out on top again next season, but having more than one reliable lefty in the bullpen is crucial, every game is important.