Calvin Faucher leads the charge, but intriguing options like Andrew Nardi and minor-league phenom Josh White could challenge for Miami's crucial setup role.
The Miami Marlins know who their closer will be.
Pete Fairbanks has saved 75 games over the past three seasons, and that’s a big reason why the Marlins wanted signed the longtime Tampa Bay Ray over the winter.
The person most responsible for getting the ball to Fairbanks is a little less certain, and Miami has a few options for who its setup man would be.
Calvin Faucher, Fairbanks’ former teammate with the Rays, was the closest thing Miami had to a closer last season, ending the year with 15 saves. FanGraphs currently projects Faucher to have the role.
Faucher ended last season with a 3.28 ERA, 35 points above the league average, per ERA+. With an upper-90s fastball and a hard slider, Faucher's 8.8 K/9 wasn’t spectacular, but what he brought was good enough that it shouldn’t deter the Marlins from making him the setup man.
But if the Marlins want to take a chance, Andrew Nardi is an intriguing option.
Nardi was a key reason Miami made it to the postseason in 2023, going 8-1 with a 2.67 ERA out of the bullpen. In 2024, he regressed, going 3-2 with a 5.07 ERA.
Nardi’s 2025 season didn’t happen because of a lower back injury, one that he’s still recovering from. After last year, it looked like Nardi and the Marlins would move on, but the team avoided arbitration and signed him to a one-year deal last month. At 27, Nardi is still young and talented enough to take the setup role should he get healthy and somebody else falter. But with him not pitching in the bigs since August 2024, it’s hard to see him taking that spot early in 2026, if at all.
Miami’s two most valuable relievers from last season, according to Baseball Reference’s Win Above Replacement system, are still on the roster in Anthony Bender and Tyler Phillips.
But neither of those guys strikes a lot of people out, with Bender’s K/9 rate being 7-6 last season and Phillips’ being 6. Right now, FanGraphs projects Bender to be in middle relief and Phillips to be the seventh-inning guy.
That brings us to the wild card, and that wild card is Josh White.
White, 25, hasn’t thrown a major-league pitch, but has been dominant in the minors, going 10-1 with a 1.86 ERA across AA and AAA last year.
White’s K/9 rate was an absurd 14.2, so that wouldn’t be an issue.
White is projected to make the team out of spring training, according to FanGraphs, and if he does well enough there, he might surprise people and get the role.
ㅤ
Join the Community! Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news! It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!