Miami Marlins trade with Tampa Bay Rays, DFA Lewin Diaz in series of roster moves
The Miami Marlins made a slew of roster moves on Tuesday ahead of MLB’s deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft.
The full rundown:
▪ Miami acquired right-handed relief pitcher JT Chargois and infielder prospect Xavier Edwards from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor-league right-handed pitchers Santiago Suarez and Marcus Johnson.
▪ The Marlins also added three pitcher prospects to the 40-man roster in left-handed pitcher Josh Simpson (the club’s No. 28 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline) as well as right-handed pitchers George Soriano and Eli Villalobos to protect them from being selected in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.
▪ To make room for all five players, Miami designated for assignment first baseman Lewin Diaz, infielder Jose Devers and right-handed pitchers Nick Neidert, Jeff Brigham and Elieser Hernandez.
So what does it all mean? Let’s break it down.
The Rays trade
Chargois adds bullpen depth, which is one of the Marlins’ offseason goals. He has a career 3.54 ERA with 155 strikeouts against 57 walks over 155 2/3 innings. The Marlins are his fifth team following stops with the Minnesota Twins (25 games in 2016), Los Angeles Dodgers (60 games in 2018 and 2019), Seattle Mariners (31 games in 2021) and Rays (46 games in 2021 and 2022).
Edwards, who was the Rays’ No. 4 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, provides infield depth. The 23-year-old switch hitter who was drafted No. 38 overall in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Coconut Creek North Broward Prep has a career .300 batting average in the minor leagues and spent all of 2022 with the Rays’ Triple A affiliate Durham Bulls. The Rays originally acquired him in the Jake Cronenworth/Tommy Pham trade with the San Diego Padres.
MLB Pipeline’s scouting report of Edwards notes his “elite bat control that makes him able to spray the ball all over the field from either side, and his solid strike-zone discipline leads to a healthy amount of walks.” He has played second base, shortstop and third base in the minors.
The DFAs
Diaz is the biggest notable of the departures from the 40-man roster. The Marlins felt as if he could be their first baseman of the future when they acquired him from the Twins in 2019 for reliever Sergio Romo. His defense is Gold Glove-worthy, but his bat has yet to come to life — Diaz has a career .181 batting average in 343 big-league plate appearances. Without Diaz, Garrett Cooper would be the team’s primary first baseman as the roster is constructed. Charles Leblanc also played there toward the end of the season.
The three pitchers taken off the 40-man roster don’t come as much of a surprise. Brigham and Elieser were projected to make a combined $2.6 million through arbitration this year without determined roles, while Neidert spent the bulk of the season in Triple A while bouncing between a starter and a reliever.
Devers, acquired as part of the Giancarlo Stanton trade, coming off the roster doesn’t come as much of a surprise either, especially after acquiring Edwards. The infielder has talent, especially on defense, but has been marred by injuries.
The Rule 5 protections
The Rule 5 Draft is scheduled to take place on Dec. 7, the last day of MLB’s Winter Meetings in San Diego. Players eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft are prospects who are not on a team’s 40-man roster and have been in professional baseball for four seasons if drafted out of college (since 2019) or five seasons if drafted out of high school or signed as an international free agent (since 2018). A player selected in the Rule 5 Draft must stay on a team’s active MLB roster for the entirety of the ensuing season.
Miami protected three of its players by adding Simpson, Villalobos and Soriano to the roster.
Simpson, a 32nd-round pick in 2019 out of Columbia, has emerged as one of top relief pitcher prospects in Miami’s system. The 25-year-old lefty had a 3.97 ERA with 112 strikeouts against 34 walks while holding opponents to a .177 batting average against over 68 innings (55 2/3 with Double A Pensacola, 12 1/3 with Triple A Jacksonville) last season.
Villalobos, a 14th-round pick in 2018 out of Long Beach State, had a breakout 2022 season, pitching to a 2.86 ERA in 52 appearances (40 in Double A, 12 in Triple A) and logging 14 saves in 18 opportunities. He struck out 101 and walked 29 while holding opponents to a .191 batting average over 78 2/3 innings.
Soriano, an international free agent signing in 2015, has split time between starting and relieving over five seasons. He has a career 3.29 ERA in 109 games (56 starts). He moved primarily to a bullpen role in 2022, during which he had a 2.72 ERA in 40 games (six starts), with eight saves in 11 opportunities.
Among the Marlins’ top prospects who were left unprotected: First baseman Troy Johnston, outfielder Griffin Conine and right-handed pitcher M.D. Johnson, all of whom are among the Marlins’ top-30 prospects.
Where the 40-man roster stands
Right-handed pitchers (13): Sandy Alcantara, Anthony Bender, Huascar Brazoban, Edward Cabrera, JT Chargois, Dylan Floro, Pablo Lopez, Max Meyer, Tommy Nance, Sean Reynolds, Sixto Sanchez, George Soriano, Eli Villalobos
Left-handed pitchers (9): Richard Bleier, Daniel Castano, Braxton Garrett, Jesus Luzardo, Andrew Nardi, Steven Okert, Trevor Rogers, Tanner Scott, Josh Simpson.
Catchers (2): Nick Fortes, Jacob Stallings.
Infielders (9): Brian Anderson, Jon Berti, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Garrett Cooper, Xavier Edwards, Jordan Groshans, Charles Leblanc, Miguel Rojas, Joey Wendle
Outfielders (7): JJ Bleday, Peyton Burdick, Bryan De La Cruz, Jerar Encarnacion, Avisail Garcia, Jesus Sanchez, Jorge Soler
Next up: Non-tender deadline
Friday is MLB’s non-tender deadline. This is the date for teams to offer pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players contracts for the 2023 season. Salaries aren’t determined at this point, but a contract must be offered by this date. Players who don’t receive contracts, typically arbitration-eligible players who are fringe players on the roster or whose expected salaries are deemed higher than their expected contribution, are considered “non-tendered” and become free agents.
The Marlins have 10 players who are arbitration-eligible this offseason. Here is the list, with their projected salaries in parenthesis:
▪ Right-handed pitcher Pablo Lopez ($5.6 million)
▪ Infielder Joey Wendle ($5.4 million)
▪ Third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson ($5.2 million)
▪ Right-handed pitcher Dylan Floro ($4.2 million)
▪ First baseman/designated hitter Garrett Cooper ($4.1 million)
▪ Catcher Jacob Stallings ($3.3 million)
▪ Left-handed pitcher Tanner Scott ($2.7 million)
▪ Utility player Jon Berti ($2.4 million)
▪ Left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo ($2 million)
▪ Right-handed pitcher JT Chargois ($1 million)
