The Marlins got a right-hander Bradley Blalock from the Rockies in exchange for a minor league pitcher, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Blalock was designated for assignment by Colorado last week in exchange for a spot Michael Lorenzen on the 40-man roster. The Marlins will need to make a similar move to clear 40-man roster space for Blalock once the deal becomes official.
Blalock, 25, was a 32nd-round pick by the Red Sox back in 2019. He was traded to the Brewers before his major league debut in a deal that brought him in. Luis Urias to Boston. He made his first trip to the majors in 2024, but pitched one draft for Milwaukee before being shipped to Colorado in a trade that got the Brewers right. Nick Mears. Since arriving in Colorado just before the 2024 trade deadline, Blalock has made 20 appearances (including 18) for the Rockies. That hasn’t gone particularly well, as he’s posted an 8.25 ERA over 88 1/3 innings of work with the club so far.
Some of it can be attributed to Coors Field’s pitching woes, but even Blalock’s sub-par metrics have been worrisome. In 58 2/3 frames this season, Blalock has posted a minuscule 9.8% strikeout rate against an 8.4% walk rate that is almost identical to a punch out. That was the lowest K-BB% among pitchers with at least 50 innings last year. While a .332 BABIP and a 57.3% average both suggest that there may be room for positive regression relative to this year’s brutal 9.34 ERA, the 5.67 xFIP and 6.05 SIERA leave little room for enthusiasm in Blalock’s 2026 season.
Of course, that doesn’t mean decent production from the righty isn’t possible. Blalock still has youth on his side, having just celebrated his 25th birthday last month, and perhaps a Marlins team that has had great success developing pitchers in recent years can help find the right path. Even if Blalock’s skills don’t take a step forward in his new organization, righties could still get enough out of Coors Field (where he has a career 10.85 ERA) to prove he’s an adequate depth option for Miami. The Marlins needed depth after their first postseason trade Edward Cabrera again Ryan Weathers bent the bulk of the team’s weapons slightly.
The first rotation in Miami remains strong on paper, even after those deals. Sandy Alcantara again Eury Perez figure in leading rotation including and Braxton Garrett, Max Meyeragain Janson Junk with high proprosects Thomas White again Robby Snelling I’m on my way. Blalock will join Ryan Gusto, Osvaldo Bidoand others in the arms deep group behind the group’s first selections. While that puts him very far from the depth chart, the number of significant injuries the Marlins players (including Alcantara, Perez, and Garrett) have dealt with in recent years makes Blalock pitching meaningful innings for the Marlins this year a legitimate possibility. That could change, however, if the team adds a veteran pitcher to help eat up the innings. This is a move that has been rumored and often considered after their moves to deal Cabrera and Weathers, but it’s unclear how the addition of deep arms like Blalock and Bido in recent weeks will impact those efforts.
