Carlos Marmol rumors: Dodgers, Cubs talking trade for volatile relief pitcher

The Dodgers are reportedly nearing a trade that would bring former Cubs closer Carlos Marmol to Los Angeles, per both Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago and Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

It's hard judging such a trade without knowing the full parameters, but here is what we know:

• Marmol, 30, was designated for assignment by the Cubs on June 25.
• Marmol is making $9.8 million in 2013, meaning if someone were to acquire Marmol at his full salary beginning Tuesday would be responsible for approximately $4,819,672.
• We do not know whether or not Marmol was claimed by the Dodgers.
• Marmol will be a free agent after 2013
• Per Levine, Marmol has a no-trade clause of six teams to which he can block a trade, including the Dodgers.
• Marmol has a 5.68 ERA in 2013 with two saves and three blown saves.
• Marmol saved 92 games from 2010-2012
• Marmol's career walk rate of 6.07 per nine innings is the highest in MLB since his debut in 2006 among all pitchers with at least 200 innings.
• Marmol's career strikeout rate of 11.67 per nine innings is the third highest in MLB since his debut, a list that would be topped by Kenley Jansen if he had 13⅓ more innings.

Relief pitchers by nature are volatile, but Carlos Marmol is the most volatile of the bunch. He seemed a likely candidate to simply get released after clearing waivers, so that the Cubs would get something of value for Marmol seems farfetched.

Again, we simply don't know the details of the trade to fully judge, but if the Dodgers are using their cash advantage in order to not give up better prospects or if this is part of a larger deal that could include starter Matt Garza, that would be ideal.

But if this is just a case of the Dodgers acquiring a failed closer, then "fixing" him heading into free agency, only to re-sign him to a deal that everyone agrees is overpriced, well we've been down that road before.