There's been lots of talk / debate about what the Marlins should do when it comes to a closer.
The bullpen is one of the obvious weak spots (at first glance) for the Marlins heading into the 2022 season, and there's been a bit of talk that relievers (especially a closer) should have been a higher priority this off-season.
Would it be nice to go out and get someone like Craig Kimbrel from the White Sox? Absolutely.
Would it be an upgrade over what the Fish already have? I don't think so.
Jesús Luzardo should (at least get a chance to) close for the Miami Marlins.
The A's had him in a relief role a few times, and heading into June 2021 he had an ERA of 3.32 and a 1.062 WHiP with 23 strikeouts over 21.2 innings out of the bullpen. Back in his first year in the Majors (2019), Luzardo posted an ERA of 1.50 over six games (12 innings) with two saves. On top of that, his career numbers are much better over his first 25 pitches than anything after (opp batting line of .240/.321/.490).
I know that's not a lot to go on, but my question would be why not at least give it a try? His numbers as a reliever (at least before June of last year) are decent, you need a closer and you'd have to pay a steep price to pick up a good one from outside the organization. I don't think the Marlins have anything to lose giving him a shot at the job. It's probably not what he thought was going to happen when he came to Miami, but it could be a great chance to finally establish himself in the Majors as more than just someone who came in as a top prospect and has struggled.
Has Luzardo been looking good this spring? Absolutely. Does he have the potential to be a stud starter for years to come? 100%. There's only five spots in the rotation though and there's a wealth of young talent on their way up.
What's a bit interesting to me is that in a social media post from the Marlins today, the club was trying to get people excited by talking about players. They posted one graphic about starting pitching and mentioned four names; Alcantara, López, Rogers and Hernandez. Not Luzardo. It could very well just have been a post that was planned / created before his impressive spring outing, but it could also be that Luzardo is destined for a different role.
I apologize if this post has been a bit all over the place - it's hard to focus when Wall-E is on in the other room.
Agree with me? Disagree? Have a comment on what I've written? Leave a comment or shoot me a message!