SAN DIEGO -- The Rockies claimed right-hander Tyler Kinley off waivers from the Marlins on Monday, the first day of the MLB Winter Meetings.

Kinley, who turns 29 on Jan. 31, went 3-1 with a 3.65 ERA and one save in a career-high 52 games last season. He has a 5.22 ERA with 59 strikeouts and 44 walks in 65 games over four seasons with Miami.

Kinley has been a coveted pitcher, because of his mid 90s fastball and slider combination. The Twins took him in the Rule 5 Draft before the 2018 season but returned him to the Marlins. He has solid Minor League numbers -- a 3.57 ERA and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings to 3.8 walks per nine, plus a 1.26 WHIP. He has two Minor League options. General manager Jeff Bridich said the Rockies had interest before Kinely was placed on the Major League roster.

“We had interest in Tyler a few years ago in trying to trade for him -- I believe he was not on the roster at that time,” Bridich said. He was a Minor Leaguer that had not been selected to the roster. We’ve thought highly of him for a number of years. We believe with his pitch mix, there’s a power element. We believe that he’s got some good secondary pitches – a slider that can work well in our ballpark.

“We’ve been impressed with the kid,” Bridich said. “He’s been durable. I feel like there’s upside there. I felt like there was a good way to add a guy that could factor into our Major League bullpen hopefully this year and for years to come.

“[Kinley’s velocity] is right in there with some of the other guys that we would have -- the Almontes and the Harveys. It’s not quite Estevez or it’s triple digits, but it’s right in there.”