Arizona Diamondbacks 2024 Player Review: Dylan Floro

A tale of a deadline acquisition that didn't pan out for the D-backs.

Sep 1, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Dylan Floro (55) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

This article is part of a series chronicling the individual seasons of players that appeared for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024.

Reviews for players that still have rookie eligibility for 2025 will appear in our prospect season reviews. Players are presented in the reverse order of their aWAR, an average of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs WAR.

RHP Dylan Floro

Contract Status: Free Agent

Dylan Floro's 2024 broken down by team, as well as career numbers / Alex D'Agostino | Diamondbacks On SI

Right-handed reliever Dylan Floro was one of general manager Mike Hazen's 2024 Trade Deadline acquisitions - an attempt to bolster the D-backs' middle relief depth. Floro was acquired from the Washington Nationals in exchange for first base prospect Andres Chaparro.

On July 30, with Floro's Nationals already at Chase Field for a three-game series, the veteran simply walked across the hall to join Arizona's clubhouse. But unfortunately for both he and the D-backs, his season would deteriorate soon.

On paper, Floro was a solid addition to the D-backs' bullpen. Over 51 appearances and 52.1 innings with the Nationals, he put forward a sparkling 2.06 ERA and 196 ERA+ (96% above average).

His 1.051 WHIP and 2.63 FIP suggested his success was relatively sustainable, and he had allowed just one home run and 13 walks, while striking out 40 in those 52.1 innings.

Of course, there was always a situational caveat. Floro performed well in a middle relief role with the Nationals, but there was a considerable split between lower- and higher-leverage scenarios. In low leverage, Floro put out a near-perfect 0.59 ERA over 30.1 innings.

With that said, low-leverage and middle relief was, in fact, a need for the D-backs at the time of the trade. Bryce Jarvis had just been placed on season-ending IR, Miguel Castro continued to struggle heavily, and Joe Mantiply was needed for matchup-based situations.

Unfortunately, Floro never hit his stride in any capacity with Arizona. He made just 15 appearances for the D-backs, but after a pair of scoreless outings to open his tenure, it was mostly downhill for the veteran. He pitched to a 6.30 ERA over his first full month with the club, giving up seven runs on 12 hits and striking out only three over 10 innings.

It only got worse from there, as the righty was blown up twice in early September, being tagged for five runs against the Astros and Brewers respectively. That translated to a 14.21 monthly ERA, and helped balloon his initial 2.06 season ERA to 3.80.

Overall, he pitched to a dismal 9.37 ERA with Arizona - far below expectations.

As a member of the D-backs, Floro's FIP was 6.29, and opponents slashed .333/.373/.580 against him. His fastball averaged 89.9 in 2024, down nearly three MPH from his previous years' averages.

In fact, he'd seen an even steeper decline in velocity after joining the D-backs. Statcast shows that his fastball had been hovering just above 90 MPH, sometimes even above 91.

But as the months wore on, it declined sharply. In his final 12 appearances (all with Arizona), it only topped 90 MPH twice. His final appearance for the D-backs saw an average velocity of 87.7, nearly a full MPH decrease than his previous low.

The downtick in velocity certainly didn't help his effectiveness. It's possible he was dealing with an undisclosed injury or exceptional arm fatigue - something that could also affect his command and movement.

Following said final low-velocity appearance--a two-inning, five-run blowup against Milwaukee--Floro was designated for assignment, leading to his eventual outright release two days later.

On paper, Floro's acquisition made sense. It filled a middle relief need, and the veteran had a career's worth of solid performances. He had accumulated 6.4 aWAR over his eight seasons prior to 2024, and had consistently put forward solid - if not outstanding - ERA numbers.

But whether it was the change of environment that threw him off or simply late-season fatigue, Floro wasn't much of a contributor to the 2024 D-backs. Despite being kept almost entirely out of high-leverage situations, the righty couldn't find a role or rhythm in Arizona, and is now a free agent.

2025 Outlook

After being released by the D-backs, Floro became a free agent. While anything is possible, he is not a candidate to make a return to Arizona anytime soon, and the club will almost certainly will look internally or elsewhere to bolster the middle of the bullpen.

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