Miami Marlins lost some depth

The Miami Marlins lost a couple players on waivers and it’s a bit worrying. The players lost we’re pretty useful for depth, so it’s odd that we would let them go. Who are these players? IF/OF Luke Williams and RP Cole Sulser. Sulser in particular was a surprise. Are we going to miss these players? Is this a bad sign? Payroll is an issue for The Fish, and we may be prioritizing the trade market for additions because of it, but what can we take from this development?

The Miami Marlins lost some depth including Cole Sulser.

Luke Williams wasn’t a key player for the Miami Marlins, but he was very useful coming off the bench. Williams can play multiple positions. He played leftfield, first base, second base and third base this season for us. He played rightfield and shortstop as well for the San Francisco Giants, prior to coming over to us (all this season).

Williams batted .235/.290/.313 with 1 HR and 3 RBI in 71 games and 115 AB in 2022. Hrs a career .240/.290/.313 hitter. It’s clear that he isn’t a superstar or a future all-star, but the positional versatility that he offered was pretty useful. Luke’s -0.1 WAR was not impressive, but having someone to fill in at multiple positions is. I’m concerned about us losing someone who can be so versatile for us. He ended up being picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers off of waivers.

Another player leaving The Fish off of waivers (to the Arizona Diamondbacks in this case) is RP Cole Sulser. Sulser had a 5.29 ERA/4.58 FIP in 39 games and 34.0 IP, but had a strong 10.1 K/9 with a bloated 4.2 BB/9. He produced -0.5 WAR. It was a different story for him last season with the Baltimore Orioles, as he produced a 2.70 ERA/2.98 FIP in 60 games and 63.1 innings pitched. He had 10.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9, while adding 8 saves as their closer down the stretch.

The Miami Marlins need bullpen depth, so losing Cole Sulser is a pretty bad loss for The Fish. Sulser’s strikeout rate and 2021 results show promise for the future. If we found some medical concerns however, I’m OK with us letting him go. Otherwise, it was a strange move.