The Marlins and Rays are in agreement on a trade sending right-hander John Curtiss from Tampa Bay to Miami in exchange for minor league first baseman Evan Edwards, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Curtiss, who’ll turn 28 in early April, had his first taste of Major League success with the Rays in 2020. The former Twins draftee ranked as one of the more promising relief prospects in the organization as he climbed through the minors, but he struggled in the big leagues with two teams (Twins, Angels) and in Triple-A with a third (Phillies) before finally landing with the Rays and ostensibly breaking through.
In 25 innings last year, Curtiss posted a 1.80 ERA with a 25.3 percent strikeout rate and just a three percent walk rate. He’s never displayed that level of command before last year’s shortened season, however, and walks have often been his undoing when he’s struggled. Curtiss also benefited from an 87.2 percent strand rate that he’s not likely to sustain. Curtiss has slightly above-average spin and velocity on his fastball, though he also yielded one of the highest average exit velocities in the game last year (92 mph).
Clearly the Marlins are of the belief that Curtiss can continue to thrive in the big leagues, even if he takes a step back from last year’s sub-2.00 ERA. Curtiss does have multiple minor league option years remaining, so he’ll give the club some depth and flexibility in the ’pen for the foreseeable future. He’s controllable all the way through the 2025 campaign if he can manage to solidify himself as a consistent big league presence.
In return for Curtiss, the Rays will receive the 23-year-old Edwards — a 2019 fourth-rounder out of North Carolina State. He only has half a season’s worth of pro experience due to last year’s lack of minor league games, but Edwards was productive in that time. In 308 plate appearances following the draft, Edwards batted .281/.357/.442 with nine homers, 15 doubles and a triple.
It should be noted, though, that the Marlins weren’t particularly aggressive with Edwards’ assignments that year, sending him to short-season Class-A and then the Class-A Midwest League where most of the competition he faced was younger than him. He also posted a 26.9 percent strikeout rate, so he’ll likely need to improve his bat-to-ball skills as he climbs the minor league ladder. Edwards didn’t rank among the Marlins’ top 30 prospects heading into the 2021 season, per Baseball America.
Why? Still had 5 years of control left
John Curtiss was good…… well best of luck to him. Evan Edwards future MVP
Great pickup for the Marlins.
Rays I feel like are doing a good job picking and choosing pitchers they want. They know they develop them very well, and know they can find value just about anywhere if they believe in a guy enough.
They need the space for their recent signings. And the first rule with marginal guys like Curtis is to immediately trade them after they have a good year; He looked good in 2020, but it was 2020….
They must see something in Edwards who didn’t do much in the MWL, which he was old for. But the numbers aren’t everything.
Curtiss looked like a guy yearning for a traditional starting pitcher role inside a nontraditional Rays system last year. I hope the Marlins stretch him out at least for some spot starts and try to develop him a 3rd pitch. And if the 2020 control he showed is not a total mirage, he could be a rotation staple pretty quickly
This is one of those rays trades we look back on in 5 6 years and say wow the rays got a steal
Must be something they really like in Edward’s.
If they hit with him you absolutely trade a middle reliever for a productive everyday player
Curtiss only has one option remaining.
Also, playing 68 games in the midwest league in the same season you are drafted is actually a pretty aggressive assignment. Most draftees don’t reach full-season ball in their pro debut.
It’s not aggressive when we’re talking about a player drafted out of college who’s older than the competition. It’s a different story for a HS player.
Rays robbed us last time with the Stanek trade. Hope this one works out better…
I dont remember him well right now, maybe b/c it feels like it has been longer than it has been, but he seems like a Barraclough type to me, based on the info
@stretch123 the rays did rob you but that’s what they do. If Curtiss gives you 3.60 and lower that’s really good. He will be important in 2022 where you guys make a postseason push. 2021 for the Marlins should just be getting in work
It’s hard to say fleeced when it happened. Hindsight ya know. We got Stanek and Jesus Sanchez (a top prospect) for Nick Anderson (who was K’ing everyone but had some bad luck. Who we also got off a scrap heap) and that guy Trevor Williams I think (who’s like 6’5″ with an amazing changeup but throws 88 with nothing else).
At the time everyone thought WE FLEECED the Rays. What hurt the most is Stanek got hurt and forgot how to pitch. He looked like a closer in the making. And then Jesus has taken steps back. Overall it wasn’t a bad trade. Anderson became elite with the Rays but his overall sample size is small and he blew the postseason for them. It’s a very interesting trade. In hindsight we shouldn’t have done it because Anderson would be our closer and then we could have got better pieces for him.
This current trade is all about two lottery tickets. Does Curtiss keep it up? Does the minor leaguer we sent become something? Curtiss was a one hit wonder so maybe the Rays are banking on him being just that while they get a lottery ticket out of it.
Trevor Richards*
I could see Edwards being interesting in the next few years. Trying to remember what I thought back when he was drafted, but I think I remember him having a nice smooth left handed swing (that part I cant say for sure right now lol). I think he looked for more power after the draft, and struck out a bit more, but he seemed like a gap to gap guy, who makes contact and gets on base, to me, and I think he fits the type of guy you would see with the Rays.
Meanwhile, the Marlins havent had enough bullpen arms that walk the world, so let’s keep hoping with guys like that, and then still not move them when they actually avoid those issues for a short while, and accumulate some value
Okay, so the floor on Curtiss is pretty low, but he has options and a decent upside. Good trade. Hope it works out.
Where is Al Avila?