Latest Marlins Waiver Claim Brings Limited MLB Experience to Bullpen
In this story:
The Miami Marlins continue to cast a wide net for relief help with spring training set to begin next week.
The Marlins claimed former Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Garrett Acton off waivers on Monday, after the Rockies had designated him for assignment last week. To make room for Acton on the 40-man roster, they designated outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. for assignment. Miami’s roster is now at 40 players.
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
Acton will join the Marlins when their pitchers and catchers report to their facility in Jupiter, Fla., on Feb. 11 for the start of spring training.
About Garrett Acton
Acton didn’t pitch for the Rockies last season. In fact, he joined the Rockies in November when he was claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. Acton was designated for assignment last month when Colorado signed Willi Castro to a free agent deal and needed room on their 40-man roster.
He pitched just one game for the Rays last year, as he threw a scoreless inning during a September call-up. But he spent much of the season at Triple-A Durham and part of the season on the team’s injured list as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2024.
The bulk of his MLB experience came with the Athletics. He pitched six games for them in 2023, as he allowed eight earned runs and nine hits in 5.2 innings as he struck out five and walked five. The problem for the right-hander is that he’s not been able to stick in the Majors.
After he made his debut with the Athletics, he was demoted less than a month later, was moved to the minor league injured list and released by the franchise in July. He didn’t land with another team until December of 2024 when he signed a minor league deal with the Rays.
Like many pitchers on the fringes, Acton is looking for a chance. But in some ways, he’s already beaten the odds. Out of high school he was the 35th round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2016 but chose not to play pro ball. After a standout career at Illinois, where he set a school-record 25 saves, he wasn’t drafted in 2020 as the draft was shortened to five rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He signed with the Athletics and made his way to the Majors.
The Marlins had one of the better bullpens in baseball last season and they fortified it with the signing of closer Pete Fairbanks to a one-year deal in December. Miami has other bullpen options on the 40-man roster, including Anthony Bender, Calvin Faucher, Tyler Phillips, Cade Gibson, Lake Bachar, Michael Petersen, Josh Simpson, Andrew Nardi, Tyler Zuber and Jesus Tinoco. Ronny Henriquez is on the 40-man roster but is out for the season after an elbow injury, which necessitated Fairbanks’s signing.
