Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill and manager Don Mattingly mentioned Garcia as a candidate for the rotation during the upcoming season, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
Based on the comments from the team's brass during Saturday's Marlins Fanfest, it seems only Dan Straily and Jose Urena are guaranteed starting roles heading into 2018. A healthy Wei-Yin Chen would also seem to have an edge on a rotation spot, with the Marlins planning to give a number of younger, less established arms the opportunity to round out the starting ranks. Though he proved to be one of the more dependable setup men for the Marlins as a rookie in 2017, Garcia only managed a 7.1 K/9 rate, which limits his long-term upside in the bullpen compared to some of the other power relievers the team has in the fold. Prior to being converted to relief duty last season, Garcia had been developed as a starter, but his meager minor-league numbers and lack of starting experience above the Double-A level make him a long shot to win a rotation spot with the Marlins.