Wei-Yin Chen to Marlins: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

Starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen has signed with the Miami Marlins on a five-year deal with a vesting player option for a sixth year.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports was the first to report the deal on Jan. 12. Miami announced the deal on Tuesday.

According to Rosenthal, the deal is worth $80 million, pending a physical, while the vesting option would take the deal to a potential $96 million valuation, according to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network. Heyman also reported that Chen will have an opt-out option after the second year.

Chen, 30, went 11-8 with a 3.34 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 153 strikeouts in 191.1 innings last season, the third time in the past four campaigns he threw for 185 or more frames. Both his ERA and WHIP were career bests. 

Chen was Baltimore's most consistent starter since 2012, eating innings and reliably giving the team quality outings. That made him appealing in the secondary market for starting pitchers once players like David Price, Zack Greinke and Johnny Cueto signed their megadeals.

Chen isn't a star, but he's a solid option in the middle of a rotation. He'll slide behind Jose Fernandez, the team's ace, as the No. 2 starter and give the Marlins a decent option atop the rotation.

The signing has left the Marlins feeling confident, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today:

The New York Mets and their young, dominant starting rotation might disagree with that assessment. Still, Chen will bolster a rotation that was mediocre last year and improve the Marlins' chances in the NL East.