The Marlins are in agreement with reliever Grant Dayton on a minor league contract, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid (Twitter link). He’ll receive an invitation to big league Spring Training.
Dayton has spent the past three seasons in the NL East as a member of the Braves. The left-hander was effective when healthy between 2019-20, but he missed most of the former campaign on account of a fracture in his right foot. Between the two seasons, he only tallied 39 1/3 innings across 32 outings but he posted a 2.52 ERA.
Last year was a struggle for the Auburn product, as he surrendered ten runs in thirteen frames. He landed on the injured list in early June with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, then was transferred to the 60-day IL in July. Dayton never returned, and Atlanta cut him loose after the season.
Originally a Marlins draftee (11th round in 2010), Dayton made it as high as Triple-A in the Miami system and briefly cracked the 40-man roster. The Fish outrighted him in April 2015, before he ever made it to the majors, then traded him to the Dodgers that July. He made his big league debut in Los Angeles the following season, working to a 2.05 ERA in 25 games as a rookie.
Dayton, now 34, has 99 MLB appearances under his belt. He’s pitched in the majors in five of the past six seasons, posting a 3.43 ERA over 102 1/3 innings. The Alabama native has never had a problem missing bats, as he’s punched out an above-average 27.5% of opponents throughout his career. His 9% career walk rate is manageable, but the fly-ball pitcher has served up 1.67 homers per nine innings in the big leagues. Spacious Marlins Park could aid him in keeping the ball in the yard, but Dayton will first have to pitch his way onto the roster. The newly-extended Richard Bleier is Miami’s top southpaw in the bullpen, while Steven Okert and Sean Guenther also occupy spots on the 40-man.