Dylan Floro Not Quite Ready to Debut with Athletics

The Athletics bullpen picture may have become a little less clear, as MLB.com's Martín Gallegos is reporting that new addition Dylan Floro isn't quite ready to face hitters yet.

Dylan Floro, who signed a late Minor League deal with the A’s, does not feel like he’s in condition to face hitters yet, per Mark Kotsay. For now, he will continue throwing bullpens and building up in camp.
— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) March 1, 2025

"Dylan Floro, who signed a late Minor League deal with the A’s, does not feel like he’s in condition to face hitters yet, per Mark Kotsay. For now, he will continue throwing bullpens and building up in camp."

Floro started last season as a member of the Washington Nationals and held a 2.06 ERA across 52.1 innings pitched. He was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the deadline, and his season completely fell apart. He posted a 9.37 ERA in his 16.1 innings in the desert with a 1.65 WHIP.

With the Nationals, Floro was striking out 19.6% of hitters and held a 47.6% ground ball rate, giving up just one home run with the Nationals. In Arizona, his strikeout plummeted to 10.7%, his ground ball rate fell to 40.3%, and he gave up four homers in roughly a third of the innings he'd pitched with Washington. The D-Backs ended up designating Floro for assignment in September.

Given that Floro is a minor-league signing, that provides the A's with some flexibility for when they can look to add him to the roster, but once he's on the 40-man, he'll have to stick with the club or be subject to waivers. If that timing isn't when the regular season begins, then he'll still be in the organization, just in Triple-A.

One reason that Floro may not feel ready to face batters yet is because of the velocity dip he suffered last season, seeing his heater go from an average of 92.3 miles per hour in 2023, to just 89.8 mph last year.

When he's ready, Floro would provide some experience to the A's bullpen mix. The 34-year-old has nine big-league seasons under his belt. The only bullpen arm with more experience is T.J. McFarland, who has played in parts of 12 seasons.

José Leclerc is a third veteran arm, and is slated to tackle the late innings in 2025, but behind him, Mason Miller has the most service time among the relievers, and he made his MLB debut in 2023. He also joined the bullpen last season. Grant Holman, Tyler Ferguson, and Michel Otañez all debuted last season, and Noah Murdock is a Rule 5 pick.

If Floro isn't ready for Opening Day, then the A's have two relief options on the 40-man roster. The first is Justin Sterner, who was a waiver claim from the Tampa Bay Rays in November. The second is Elvis Alvarado, another waiver claim, that has yet to make his debut.

Sterner has made two appearances for the A's this spring, and has not allowed a run in 1.1 innings of work. Alvarado has not made an appearance for the A's in camp.

The Athletics could also add a long relief arm to the mix, like Brady Basso, Jacob Lopez, or Hogan Harris, all three of which would give the club a second left-hander out of the bullpen.