Dylan Floro, RP
Position: RP B/T: L/R
Age: 34 (12/27/1990)
2024 Traditional Stats: 66 G, 68 2/3 IP, 3.80 ERA, 1.194 WHIP, 6-4, 48 K, 17 BB
2024 Advanced Stats: 108 ERA+, 17.2% K%, 6.1% BB%, 3.94 xERA, 3.50 FIP, 4.10 xFIP, 0.6 fWAR, 0.8 bWAR
Rundown
For much of 2024, Dylan Floro looked like he was headed for a major bounce-back season. After a rocky 2023, he began the year in the Nationals’ bullpen and turned in a sparkling 2.06 ERA, only giving up one home run in 52 1/3 innings. With the team not in contention, Washington flipped the right-hander to the Diamondbacks for infielder Andrés Chaparro at the trade deadline.
Unfortunately, Floro’s season went south after getting dealt to Arizona. Even with a rough month of August, Floro entered September with a 2.74 ERA. but he got hit around for five runs, including a three-run homer by Jeremy Peña in 1 1/3 innings against Houston on September 7. A week later, Floro entered in mop-up duty with Arizona down 8-0 to the Brewers and got rocked for five more runs in two innings of work, surrendering back-to-back homers by Garrett Mitchell and William Contreras. Three days later, the Diamondbacks released Floro. In 15 appearances for Arizona, Floro was charged with 17 earned runs and gave up four homers in just 16 1/3 innings – more than he gave up in all of 2023.
Floro has never been a particularly hard thrower, but his fastball velocity dipped significantly in 2024, going from averaging 92.7 miles per hour on his sinker to 89.9, and seeing his four-seamer velocity decreasing from 92.3 MPH to 89.8. By September, Floro’s sinker was averaging just 88.4 MPH and his four-seamer was down to 88.2 MPH. Floro’s whiff rate decreased on three of his four pitches, with the change-up being the only one that saw an uptick. After registering a career-high 23.4% strikeout rate in 2023, it decreased to 17.2% in 2024, the lowest it’s ever been over a full season. Floro also saw his ground-ball rate drop from 54.1% to 44.1%, and his fly-ball rate jump from 14.1% to 23.9%.
Still, the season wasn’t all a lost cause for Floro, as his overall surface numbers were an improvement from 2023. He also threw a career-high 68 2/3 innings and appeared in over 60 games for the third time in the last four years. A familiar foe for the Mets, Floro has a 1.37 ERA in 30 appearances against New York, and a 0.84 ERA in 13 games at Citi Field.
Contract
Floro made $2.25 million in 2024. He’s not listed on MLB Trade Rumors’ Top 50 Free Agents, but Fangraphs projects him to receive a one-year, $3 million deal this offseason.
Recommendation
Most of Floro’s numbers are trending in the wrong direction and he turned 34 years old this past December. David Stearns has a knack for trying to find ways to fix struggling arms, and perhaps he could take a flyer on Floro. For much of the last four seasons, he’s been a high-leverage arm, including some closing experience. It might be a risk to commit a major-league roster spot to Floro, and he would have to earn his way into the circle of trust wherever he signs. The only way the Mets seem to be a fit is if he’s willing to take a minor league deal and see if he can perform well enough in spring training to break camp.
