Volquez gets two-year deal with Marlins

MIAMI (AP) - Edinson Volquez admits he was "tired" toward the second half of last season. That attributed to his bloated 5.37 ERA, he said.

The 33-year-old right-hander, fresh off completing his two-year, $22-million contract with the Miami Marlins, assured everyone Friday he is now rested and ready to go.

"I pitched a lot of innings the year before," Volquez said in Spanish, referring to the 2001/3 innings he threw for the World Series champion Kansas City Royals in 2015, when he went 13-9 with a 3.55 ERA. "By June and July (of 2016), I was tired."

Volquez, who has made more than 30 starts in each of the past four years, was 10-11 last season.

Volquez gets $9 million next season and $13 million in 2018. He joins a rotation shaken by the loss of ace Jose Fernandez, who died in a boating accident a week before the end of the regular season in September.

"It's hard to believe," Volquez said. "I was with the Royals when it happened. A lot of us were crying.

"My dad passed away in 2015, so I know what his family is going through," he said.

Volquez said he doesn't view himself as a replacement for Fernandez in the Marlins' rotation.

"Jose's death was a sad moment for MLB," he said. "He was a great pitcher, and he was only 24. But I don't want to be Jose. I want to be me."

An All-Star in 2008 with Cincinnati, Volquez is 89-79 in 12 major league seasons. He became a free agent this month when he declined his mutual option with the Royals.

Volquez said he has lived in Miami for three years, and he told his agent becoming a member of the Marlins was his top priority in free agency.

"I've liked the Marlins team for a long time," Volquez said. "I know a lot of the guys here like Martin Prado, Dee Gordon and Marcell Ozuna. Fitting in to this clubhouse won't be a problem."

Marlins general manager Michael Hill said he was "excited" to get Volquez.

"He's a World Series champion and an All-Star," Hill said.