Brian Sanches, Vinny Rottino outrighted by Marlins

        Some fall housecleaning news. The Marlins on Wednesdsay cleared out a couple of spots on their 40-man roster by outrighting reliever Brian Sanches and outfielder/catcher Vinny Rottino. Sanches was also eligible for salary arbitration for the first time and removes that decision for the Marlins.

        Sanches was a generally reliable bullpen workhorse for the Marlins over the past three seasons, totaling 145 relief appearances. He also made two spot starts this past season. Overall for the Marlins, he was 10-5 with a 2.92 ERA.

        Though his 2011 numbers weren't quite as strong (3.94 ERA), part of it could be attributed to three outings, in particular: his two spot starts and an excruciating-to-watch mop-up appearance on July 5 when he covered the final three innings in a lopsided loss to Philadelphia. Sanches, who was visibly angry afterward and slammed his glove in the dugout, coughed up six runs and threw a whopping 78 pitches. If those three outings are removed from his record, Sanches had a 2.70 ERA.

        Sanches figured to make about $1 million next season through arbitration. Assuming he declines his assignment to the minors, he'll now be eligible to explore the market through free agency. Rottino was a late-season callup from the minors.

        The moves leave 38 players on the 40-man roster.