Marlins Reliever Gaining Trade Interest, Says National MLB Insider

The Miami Marlins have a reliever that should be highly coveted between now and the deadline

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Tanner Scott has rebounded from a poor start to the season to be one of top bullpen trade targets / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins, despite their great month of May, are considered to be out of contention this season. 

Tonight’s series opener against the Texas Rangers will decide if the month’s a winning one or not, with the Marlins currently sitting at 13-13 so far despite sitting -12 in run differential. But despite the May record, Miami’s also 20-37 and currently nineteen games back in the division and nine back of the final National League wild-card spot. 

That distance from the playoffs, combined with having already traded away second baseman and leadoff man Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres, has several teams interested in different players on the Marlins for potential trades. 

National baseball insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported this morning that several teams have already reached out to check in about acquiring closer Tanner Scott. 

Scott, 29, had a rough start to the season, taking two losses in the team’s first five games. He’s rebounded pretty well, however, lowering his ERA down to 1.57 and converting seven of his eight save opportunities. 

Scott was phenomenal last season, finally having the breakout that he teased when he first debuted with the Baltimore Orioles in 2017. In 2023, Scott went 9-5 with a 2.31 in 74 games, converting twelve of his sixteen save opportunities and picking up an additional twenty-four holds. His 33.9% strikeout percentage was the highest of his career, while his 1.0% homer rate was the lowest he’s allowed outside of the 1.2 innings he pitched in 2017. 

But the biggest change was to his walk rate. Having walked a career 13.1% of batters faced and finishing 2022 at a 15.9% rate, Scott dramatically improved in that area, cutting his free passes by half, down to 7.8%. 

While the walk rate has ticked back up in a small sample, he’s still rebounded well from his early struggles to be one of the better relievers in the National League in the last month. 

His contract is another reason to expect a trade. Making $5.7M, Scott will be a free agent after this season, a luxury for Miami to carry given their expected non-contention down the stretch. At this point, not trading Scott will be a bigger shock than him eventually being moved, even if it feels like it’s rather early to begin shedding additional major league pieces from the roster.