McFarland is viewed as an important left-handed component of the bullpen, particularly due to his ability to induce groundballs, Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News reports. "He's a ground ball guy. You look at those numbers, it's pretty significant, whether it's left or right," manager Bob Melvin said. "And when you're putting together a bullpen this season - and the three-batter minimum, it starts tomorrow - you're looking for lefties who can get right-handers out."

EDGE Analysis

The offseason acquisition recorded an unsightly 6.00 ERA across six innings over six Cactus League appearances before spring training was suspended. Despite the elevated figure, McFarland's profile could make him a good fit if he's used selectively, with Melvin's comments implying the team has already developed a plan to do just that. The 30-year-old's reputation for keeping batted balls down is well-earned, as he's generated a groundball rate of at least 61.1 percent in three consecutive seasons. McFarland has had intermittent success throughout a major-league career that dates back to 2013, but Rubin notes the .313 expected batting average against him last season ranked among the bottom one percentile in the majors.