How Marlins Built Their Bullpen Ahead of Star Closer Pete Fairbanks
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The Miami Marlins have some time off before the open the season on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. But the pieces are essentially in place.
Miami doesn’t have to turn its opening-day 26-man roster to Major League Baseball until Wednesday but two moves over the weekend locked in the bullpen that will work ahead of new closer Pete Fairbanks.
The Marlins optioned Cade Gibson to Triple-A Jacksonville and reassigned Tyler Zuber to minor league camp. Per MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola, that set the bullpen for opening day.
The list includes Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender, Tyler Phillips, Lake Bachar, Michael Petersen, John King and Andrew Nardi. All are on the 40-man roster already, so Miami won’t have to pull any strings to get them on the 26-man roster.
The Miami Marlins Bullpen is Ready
Fairbanks was Miami’s key pitching signing in the offseason. Even with Faucher returning — who was a reliable closer late last season — the former Tampa Bay Rays right-hander was a clear upgrade.
The right-hander went 4-5 with a 2.83 ERA in 61 appearances last season, with 59 strikeouts and 18 walks in 60.1 innings. Fairbanks has a career ERA of 3.19 and never had an ERA higher than 3.59 in any of his last five seasons with the Rays.
In each of the past three seasons he’s recorded at least 23 saves, including 27 in 2025. He has 90 career saves.
That puts Faucher in a prime set-up role. He led the Marlins with 15 saves last season and can fill in when Fairbanks needs a day off. He went 4-4 with a 3.28 ERA in 65 games, as he struck out 59 hitters in 60 innings.
King and Nardi are the two left-handers. King pitched for St. Louis last season and went 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA in 56 games. He had nine holds. In six MLB seasons with Texas and St. Louis he has a 3.80 ERA and 36 career holds. He is 0-for-12 in save chances.
Nardi was a workhorse in the Marlins’ bullpen in 2024 before a left elbow muscle injury ended his season. He missed 2025 with lower back inflammation. His return to form has been one of the best stories in camp, as he’s thrown 5.1 scoreless innings in spring training.
Bender, Phillips, Bachar and Petersen are the right-handed options in front of Faucher and Fairbanks in the bullpen as the Marlins enter the season hoping to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2023.
