Anthony Bender
#37 RP · Marlins
Height
6'4"
Weight
205 lbs
Age
31
College
N/A
Experience
4 yrs
Bats/Throws
R/R
A-
A-
F
—
Fan Verdict
Grade this player:
Career StatsA-
| Year | Team | GP | ERA | W-L | K | WHIP | IP | SV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career |  | 207 | 3.157627 | 13-12 | 205 | 1.1694915 | 0.0 | 15 |
Current Contract
Length
1 year
Total Value
$2.8M
Guaranteed
$1.7M
AAV
$2.8M/yr
Guaranteed %60%
Contract Value Index (CVI)
A-
Great Value
OverpayFair ValueGreat Value
Anthony Bender's one-year, $2.8M deal with the Marlins earns an A- CVI, representing excellent value for an above-average reliever in today's bullpen market. While $2.8M might seem modest for a quality setup man, Bender's track record of consistent performance makes this a shrewd acquisition for a Marlins organization still building toward contention. Relief pitching remains notoriously volatile year-to-year, but Bender has shown the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that translates across different environments, giving Miami a dependable late-inning option without the multi-year commitment that often burns teams with relievers. The short-term nature of this contract is particularly smart given the Marlins' competitive timeline — they get immediate bullpen stability while maintaining payroll flexibility as their young core continues developing. For a franchise that has historically struggled with roster construction, locking up above-average relief production at this price point shows genuine front office improvement. This deal hits the sweet spot of addressing a clear need without hampering future roster moves, making it one of the better under-the-radar signings of the winter.
Fan & Media Sentiment
F
Very Negative
NegativeNeutralPositive
Anthony Bender's public perception has cratered to its lowest point, and the narrative surrounding him right now is as bleak as it gets for a reliever who has shown genuine on-field quality. The dominant story is a season-ending injury that torched both his personal reputation and his value to a franchise already struggling at 16-20, and while a spring training return generated a flicker of optimism, it was never enough to fully neutralize the mounting health concerns that have come to define how the baseball world views him. The cruel irony is that his performance grade tells a completely different story — a pitching quality that rates as elite for a reliever — making this one of the sharpest disconnects between what Bender does when healthy and what the public narrative has decided he is. The Marlins avoiding arbitration signals that the organization hasn't given up on him, but the broader headlines are drowning that vote of confidence out, especially against the backdrop of a roster in obvious flux with a string of recent signings at multiple positions suggesting the front office is actively patching holes Bender's absence helped create. His charity work back home in Petaluma offers a rare positive thread in an otherwise grim news cycle, but community goodwill rarely moves the needle when the professional questions are this loud. Until Bender can string together sustained availability on a team that desperately needs bullpen stability, the sentiment trajectory — already trending down hard over the past month — has no clear floor.
Recent Games
| Date | OPP | Result | AB | H | R | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, 5/8 | vs WAS | L 2-3 | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - |
| Tue, 5/5 | vs BAL | L 7-9 | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - |
Transaction History
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About this player
Anthony Bender is a player in his 4th MLB season listed at RP for the Marlins. FanVerdicts maintains four independent grades for every MLB player on an active roster — Contract Value Index for the deal itself, Performance for on-field production, Sentiment for media and fan reaction, and Fan Verdict for community voting. Current grades for Anthony Bender: Contract Value Index A-, Performance A-, Sentiment F, Fan Verdict pending.
Every grade refreshes on its own cadence as new data lands. Performance recalculates when MLB game stats post; Sentiment updates with new media coverage and fan discussion; Contract Value Index recomputes when contract terms change; Fan Verdict reflects live community voting on this profile. Contract details below show the structure (years, total value, average annual value, guarantees) the Contract Value Index grade is computed against.
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