Pitching not a closed topic as opening day draws near
Rotation remains unsettled as 7 players bidding for spots
JUPITER —While only one player has officially locked up a spot in the Marlins’ rotation, Miami’s pitching depth chart for both the starters and relievers is beginning to take shape.
Aside from Jose Urena, who’s been named the opening day starter, the Marlins have six pitchers — Dan Straily, Trevor Richards, Sandy Alcantara, Caleb Smith, Pablo Lopez and Wei-Yin Chen — battling for the other four rotation spots.
The traditional roster model says retain just five starters on the big-league team, but Miami seems open to potentially carrying all seven players and then mixing and matching to help lighten pitchers’ workloads.
“Obviously there’s still decisions to make,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “There’s probably three decisions to make on which way we’re going to go and we’ll be debating that over the next few days. [A lot] depends on which way the rotation goes.”
The Marlins have four young pitchers — Richards, Alcantara, Lopez and Smith — all coming off promising rookie seasons, so the team will likely be careful in not overworking those arms. Smith and Lopez ended 2018 on the injured list but are now fully healthy.
Richards, Lopez and Smith have all been very sharp in camp, displaying an improved mix of secondary pitches. Alcantara has been more uneven but has still showcased electric stuff on the mound.
Chen, 33, has struggled throughout the spring and could be used out of the bullpen as an innings eater or spot starter despite making $20 million and $22 million, respectively, the next two seasons.
Mattingly doesn’t plan on using a regular six-man rotation but said the Marlins could still utilize the starting depth to their advantage.
“We could use our bullpen in a way to blend guys in to get (other) guys rest and maybe slip them into the bullpen for a turn just to keep innings off of them,” Mattingly said.
On Tuesday, Miami made a series of roster moves that seem to clear the way for all seven players making the opening day roster.
Jarlin Garcia, who was a contender to crack the bullpen as a left-handed reliever, was assigned to Triple-A New Orleans. The Marlins also reassigned left-hander Brian Moran and right-hander R.J. Alvarez to minorleague camp.
As it stands now, Adam Conley is the only lefthanded reliever who is a roster lock, meaning Chen and Smith — both lefties — would give the team more options. Mike Kickham is the only other left-handed reliever still in camp who could be an option. The 30-year-old isn’t on the 40-man roster, so Miami would have to remove someone in order to add Kickham.
“We’re going to go with our best guys,” Mattingly said. “I’d love to have three lefties out of the bullpen. Lefties are a tough look a lot of the time for [right-handed hitters] too. But we’re going to go with the guys who have the best chance of getting us outs.”
With Miami likely to carry 13 pitchers, the team would have six available bullpen spots if it holds seven starters. Conley, Drew Steckenrider, Tayron Guerrero and Sergio Romo are locks.
Of the two remaining spots, right-handers Riley Ferrell and Austin Brice are likely bets to make the roster. A Rule 5 Draft pick, Ferrell must stay on the active roster all season or be returned to the Houston Astros. Brice is a former Marlin, having come up through the farm system and played for the team in 2016.
Right-handers Nick Anderson and Tyler Kinley are both bullpen contenders as well but could feel the roster squeeze if the team carries seven starters. RHP Julian Fernandez, who was claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants, will begin the season on the injured list while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Fernandez also has Rule 5 requirements, so he’ll join the bullpen later in the season.