How new relievers fit into Marlins’ plans. Plus Floro update and community events
Cole Sulser and Tanner Scott both received the news late Sunday night. With just days left in spring training, the Baltimore Orioles relievers were being traded to the Miami Marlins.
Within minutes of receiving the news, the two loaded up Scott’s truck and made the three-hour drive from Sarasota to Jupiter. They arrived around midnight and were on the field working out with their new team about nine hours later on the back fields at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex.
“We’ve been busy, for sure,” Sulser said.
That will likely be the case once the season starts on Friday, too. Sulser and Scott give the Marlins two more reliever options as they try to fill in holes in their bullpen.
Sulser, who was projected to be the Orioles’ closer, will likely be in the mix for high-leverage situations along with Anthony Bender, Anthony Bass and Richard Bleier. Dylan Floro, the Marlins’ projected closer, will join that group as well eventually. He’s slated to start the season on the injured list after dealing with soreness during spring training.
Scott gives Miami another left-handed pitcher in the bullpen to go along with Bleier and Steven Okert, but he can be considered a work in progress. He ranked in the 98th percentile among qualified pitchers last season in swing and miss rate (36.8 percent) but had one of the worst walk rates (14.7 percent) in the league as well.
It’s unclear whether either pitcher will make an appearance in Miami’s final spring game on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“The bigger the group of guys that you feel like you can bring into games at any time, the better,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “I think that’s what we’re trying to build as far as having a group of guys that, if it’s in the fifth or it’s in the fourth or if it’s the eighth or the ninth, that we feel good about who we’re bringing into a game.”
Dylan Floro update
One pitcher the Marlins feel comfortable giving the ball to in the ninth when healthy is Floro, who finished last season with a team-high-tying 15 saves.
But when he will actually get into a game is to be determined.
Floro said he felt good after throwing a bullpen session on Monday but the Marlins are not rushing him to get on the Opening Day roster for the sake of having him on the roster.
“It’s tough,” Floro said. “I want to be out there. I want to be trying to help work to win ball games as much as I can, but but the day, I’d rather finish off strong than start off or try to rush something and not be able to finish strong.”
Floro will likely throw a couple more bullpens and anticipates he’ll go on a rehab assignment before joining the active roster.
Marlins community events
The Marlins may be starting the season on the road, but the team will still be holding a few events in the community this week to get fans prepared for the season.
On Tuesday, the Marlins will take over Wynwood Walls from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with those attending able to win prizes, taste free ballpark-themed foods and participate in a speed pitch contest. Marlins alumni Gaby Sanchez and Antonio Alfonseca will be in attendance as well as Billy the Marlin and the Marlins Mermaids.
Attendees will also receive a commemorative Opening Day 2022 card featuring a special design by one of five artists with a QR code on the back that will allow fans to unlock an Opening Day social media filter.
The event is free, with the Marlins and MLB picking up the cost of admission to Wynwood Walls during the three-hour event.
On Friday, the Marlins will host a watch party at two Duffy’s Sports Grill locations — one in Kendall (8575 SW 124 Ave) and Fort Lauderdale (1804 Cordova Road). Both locations will have a live DJ and event host. There will also be giveaways throughout the game.
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