The Yankees have traded left-hander Stephen Tarpley to the Marlins in exchange for minor league third baseman James Nelson and cash, the two teams announced. In order to open a spot for Tarpley on the 40-man roster, fellow southpaw Brian Moran was designated for assignment. Tarpley was designated for assignment last week when the Yankees finalized their deal with Brett Gardner.
Tarpley, 26, came to the Yankees organization in the 2016 trade that sent Ivan Nova to Pittsburgh, but he’s only logged 33 2/3 innings of action in the Majors. Most of that workload came in 2019, when he pitched to an ugly 6.93 ERA with a 34-to-15 K/BB ratio in 24 2/3 innings.
Control was clearly an issue for Tarpley this past season, as in addition to his 15 walks, he plunked two hitters and unleashed five wild pitches. But he hasn’t had that type of issue finding the zone throughout his minor league tenure and has generally been a successful reliever in the upper minors. Tarpley pitched to a 1.76 ERA in 46 Double-A innings (albeit with less impressive marks of 7.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9) and is also the owner of a career 2.88 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 65 2/3 Triple-A frames. His gaudy ground-ball tendencies haven’t carried over to the Majors just yet, but Tarpley has routinely run up grounder rates north of 60 percent in Double-A and Triple-A. The lefty has a pair of minor league options remaining as well, so the Marlins can shuttle him between New Orleans and Miami as they see fit over the next two seasons.
Nelson, 22, was Miami’s 15th-round pick back in 2016. The Cisco College product turned in a big age-19 season in the Class-A South Atlantic League when he slashed .309/.354/.456 with seven homers, 31 doubles and three triples against older competition. But the past two seasons, both of which have come with Miami’s Class-A Advanced affiliate in Jupiter, have been nightmarish. Nelson has racked up 723 plate appearances but has sub-.300 marks in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage: .222/.273/.290.
The 31-year-old Moran is the older brother of Pirates third baseman Colin Moran. He made his MLB debut at the age of 30 this past season, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts through 6 1/3 frames. Moran has solid numbers in Triple-A, where he’s averaged better than 11 strikeouts per nine innings in parts of five seasons, so perhaps another club in need of some left-handed relief depth would place a speculative claim if the Fish try to pass him through outright waivers.
I’m happy for Popeye getting a VERY deserved contract from the Evil Empire. As a RS fan, I admire deserving players from any team n he fits that description.
Pasha, that’s pretty cool man. Nice to see a RS fan that’s not bashing all the Yankee articles.
Brian moran seems like an angels type player.
Well, he was with em a few springs ago.
LOL! Straight out of “Major League” !
“I thought you said we didn’t have any high-priced talent?”
Now my team needs to show the love to Mookie as a deserved player, especially after disappointing the fan base this week. I kinda wonder if Mookie wants out because of the cheating? I liked Cora, still does, but I’m so disappointed in him n decisions he made ruining his career n HURTING the fans!! Remember US!
Mookie is going to be gone regardless. Boston has no intentions of giving him the money he is going to want and will be traded at the absolute latest by the trade deadline. The cheating scandal has nothing to do with this.
Pasha, good point. All too often they forget how they impact the lives of fans. Yes, it’s only a game, but it means so much to so many and is such an integral part of their lives. That is why they can charge so much at stadiums and we pay it.
Marlins moved a better bullpen arm in a different trade and slightly (maybe) upgrades here lol riddle me that
They moved a RHP reliever in that move you’re talking about. This trade they bring in a LHP reliever. The Marlins are still in rebuild mode. Unless they accidentally give a young future star in all of these moves, they don’t have anything to lose. Last I checked, if you’re moving around your bullpen pieces, you’re not very likely to risk giving up a stud.
It looks relatively simple with Tarpley. 47 Ks and 21 BBs in 33.2 MLB innings.
Hey Im happy the Braves will trot out Camargo at 3B instead of JD also….
I think it’s a good route for you guys, but if the price is right for Bryant, can you really resist that possibility with a proven bat?
I was hoping my Tigers (thanks for your sympathy) would pick up Tarpley. Good minor league numbers and young enough to be worth a shot.
Well, many wanted the Marlins to move on from Moran. They now have after getting a younger LHP reliever.
I’m looking at this offseason and seeing the methodology at this phase of the rebuild. Did the Marlins stop letting Mike Hill make decision or is it that he didn’t have any say during the Loria Era. We haven’t seen thought out moves like this offseason in a very long time.
When you look a the current MLB roster and all the great young talent they have starting this season at AA or above you have to be impressed with what they have done in 2 years.
Still going to lose close to 100 games this season, but they won’t be losing for long.
They probably get Hancock or Martin with their #3 pick this season,so they will be adding to that great farm, too.
I wanted Tarpley back in Pittsburgh. Damn.
Ver y abad mover forma Yankees! Nelson isn’t good batalla, Moran isla a 30 years old. Tarokey isla a good young prospect
can i have whatever ur smoking?
Jar jar binks? Is that you?
Hmmmmmmm….what language are you speaking?
I think hes having a stroke.
I actually disagree. Nelson is a good batalla.
I like Tarokey mostly around Thanksgiving.
Jar-Jar, that you?
Nice move for Marlins. Low risk with a chance of high reward. I thought maybe Houston or Tampa Bay could help this guy out. They have done so with other pitchers who had control issues or struggled to find success in the majors. Hopefully Marlins help Tarpley since he is still young. If not, sorry to see Tarpley out of the majors and onto KBO.
net loss
Good move by the Marlins. They now have a better rotation than the Angels (laugh emoji).
They trade for a reliever and somehow that makes them have a better rotation?
Finally got rid of that moran!
Tarpley will be the #3 starter on Miami
Moran.
Tarpley is definitely better than Lopez or Smith or Yamamoto or Hernandez or Urena or Neidert or Sanchez or Cabrera, you should be a scout
Good young pitcher out of the Phoenix area that was being asked by the Yankees to throw his slider almost 50% of the time when it was the sinker, changeup, and curve that made him good in college and in the minors.
I haven’t seen him pitch since 2018, in spring training and a couple times with Trenton, but at that time he threw the slider only as an out pitch. Maybe 10% of the time. He set it up with a sinker and a changeup that were both plus pitches, a 4 seamer with less than ideal spin rate, and a 12-6 curve that buckled knees. He was unhittable for LHB.
Sometimes I think the Yankees only want pitchers to do what the number crunchers think is best instead of working with what the talents are of the individual player. Something Sonny Gray said after last season in Cincy was that they wanted him to change who he was as a pitcher. .
Not sure about the case of Stephen Tarpley but i definitely agree about them ruining Gray
World Champion Marlins book it! Year 10 of the Marlin rebuild continues.
Yeah, all those win now moves Loria made were a huge success and the Marlins are reaping the rewards now. But anyways, year 35 since the last Mets ring and they’re so close to breaking a rings tie with the Marlins!
when Loria finish last three years in a row.in n.l.east. in any rebuild?
did loria start rebuild his first year?
did loria disrespect marlins history like jeter? where jeff conine and other
did loria disrespect marlins biggest ticket buyer like jetter?? marlins man was biggest ticket buyer at time
Is it possible? Can it be?
Are you Jeffery Loria or David Samson?
A quick fact check of your statements.
1) Loria didn’t start a rebuild his first year because the previous regime, led by Dave Dombrowski’s front office, built a young team that was in position to win again. Even then, Loria’s group traded Cliff Floyd and Ryan Dempster to save money, but the first trade was rejected by MLB because it was considered bad for the game. So, Loria’s team was forced to restructure the trades as a 3-team deal that made them take back Juan Encarnacion along with young pieces like Carl Pavano. Loria’s team also traded Antonio Alfonseca’s contract, and luckily got a “throw-in” LHP prospect named Dontrelle Willis. Loria’s team also traded Preston Wilson and Charles Johnson in a salary dump, and fortunately got a much cheaper Juan Pierre. So, he didn’t have a rebuild, but he had salary dumps that worked out because there were so many young pieces in place that were further enhanced with more young pieces that all led to the 2003 team.
2) With Jeff Conine, while that was a big disappointment, there appears to be other issues that were tied to the legacy guys like Conine, Andre Dawson, Tony Perez, and Jack McKeon. First, the salaries they were getting were questionable for what they did. Jeter knows this legacy guys thing very well from his time with the Yankees, and knows the salary realities there. These 4 were reported to be making more than the Yankees legacy guys make from them. Also, the four legacy Marlins were reported to have been actively part of being part of organizational discussions that led to many of the failed efforts by the Marlins (like Eduardo Perez, Tony’s son, being hired as a batting coach for the Marlins). So, Jeter either needed to let them go or make it clear to them that they would only be with the Marlins to wave their caps to the crowd, sign autographs, and mentor younger players IF ASKED TO. So Jeter offered them cheaper salaries and a chance to stay. They all chose to leave.
3) “Marlins Man” is considered a self-serving buffoon by many die-hard Marlins fans. He’s a horrible reflection of our fan base. And he’s not even close to the biggest ticket buyer of Marlins tickets. Good riddance.
Fact checks…check…check….and check.
Yeah, all those win now moves Loria made were a huge success and the Marlins are reaping the rewards now. But anyways, year 35 since the last Mets ring and they’re so close to breaking a rings tie with the Marlins!
just remember Loria never finish last three years in a row.in n.l.east. in any rebuild
2011 TILL 2013 was last but 2011 and 2012 was not rebuild years.
Mets have been “close” for the most of the last 33 years. What’s it gotten them? The longest championship drought by a NL East team.
Oh yeah, and every year they’ve been promised a champagne party by the owners and homer beat writers, Mets fans have shown up to the party to find out that they’ve been given Kool-Aid that ends things at some point during the season.
Just to clarify that Miami doesn’t have a New Orleans team anymore, as the former AAA team NO Baby Cakes is now the Wichita Wind Surge, in KS. Pretty irrelevant, but the projected roster for this first year looks insane, especially the rotation!: Sixto Sánchez, Nick Neidert, Robert Dugger, Jorge Guzmán, Cody Poteet and maybe Edward Cabrera later in the mid-season.