Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- The Pirates announced that they have acquired righty Trevor Williams from the Marlins for righty Richard Mitchell. Williams, 23, was the Marlins’ second-round pick out of Arizona State in 2013. MLB.com ranked him the Marlins’ fifth-best prospect, noting that he can throw 96 MPH but typically throws in the low 90s, getting plenty of ground balls. (The Marlins’ farm system is currently quite weak, which partially explains Williams’ ranking.) Last year, Williams threw 131 innings between Double-A Jacksonville and Triple-A New Orleans, posting a 3.85 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. The 20-year-old Mitchell, a product of Colombia, posted a 3.38 ERA with 14 strikeouts and nine walks in 21 1/3 innings with the Bucs’ Gulf Coast League team this season. The Bucs signed Mitchell for $170K in 2011, but he has progressed very slowly through their system. He was not ranked in the Pirates’ top 30 prospects. Absent context, the trade seems somewhat weighted in the Pirates’ favor, and yesterday, the Marlins hired Pirates pitching guru Jim Benedict to become their new vice president, pitcher development. There has yet been no indication that this trade is related to that move, however.
Loved Williams sad to see him go great kid