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Marlins To Give Jazz Chisholm Jr. Playing Time At Second Base

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Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been prominently floated in trade speculation as the deadline approaches, and some more fuel was added to that fire with today’s news that the Marlins will again be deploying Chisholm as a second baseman on at least a part-time basis.  Chisholm took some grounders at second prior to today’s game with the Reds, and manager Skip Schumaker told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jeff Wallner) that Chisholm was happy “to do whatever’s best for the team.”

The decision is about “trying to keep his bat in the lineup every day,” Schumaker said.  “Also trying to keep him playing every day for 160-plus games, which he’s never done.  So trying to get him DH days.  Maybe second base is a way to get him off his feet a little bit.  Because I think he could play that in his sleep.”

These are all valid baseball-related reasons for the position change, as Chisholm is coming off a pair of injury-shortened seasons.  Not only has Chisholm not reached the 160-game plateau, his 124 games in 2021 represent the highest total of his four Major League seasons.  He played in only 157 of a possible 324 games in 2022-23, but has thus far taken the field in 91 of Miami’s 94 contests in 2024.  Chisholm is no stranger to the keystone after playing mostly second base during his first three MLB seasons, but he has exclusively played center field (with a few DH days) since the Marlins decided to move him to outfield duty prior to the 2023 season.

As logical as Schumaker’s explanation is, moving Chisholm to second base could also be very easily viewed as Miami’s way of showcasing his versatility to potential trade partners in advance of July 30.  Chisholm’s center field work has been average at best, depending on the defensive metric of choice — Defensive Runs Saved (-14) and UZR/150 (-7) have both panned his glovework, while Chisholm has +4 Outs Above Average over his 1541 innings as a center fielder.  Over 1308 1/3 big league innings at second base, Chisholm has a +7 DRS and +8 OAA, though UZR/150 again has him below average with a -2.6 number.

While this resume as a second baseman doesn’t exactly reflect a level of “he could play that in his sleep” defensive performance, it seems logical to assume that Chisholm is a better defensive option as an infielder than as an outfielder going forward.  The ability to play center field on at least a passable basis obviously adds to Chisholm’s trade value, but it could be that some potential suitors eyeing Chisholm as primarily a second baseman wanted some evidence that he could still handle the position before meeting what is likely a big asking price in trade talks.

Chisholm is only in the first of three arbitration-eligible seasons, earning $2.625MM in 2024 and under team control through 2026.  Miami therefore isn’t under any crunch to move Chisholm by the deadline, and an argument could be made that waiting until at least this offseason to make a move might only help the Marlins’ chances at a premium return.  If Chisholm stays healthy, fully re-establishes himself as a second base candidate, and improves on his okay (103 wRC+, .251/.320/.410 in 388 PA) but not outstanding offensive production, he’ll still be a prime trade chip for the Marlins as they continue their latest roster overhaul.

Yankees Have Discussed Jazz Chisholm

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The Yankees have had some discussions regarding Jazz Chisholm Jr., writes Jon Heyman of the New York Post. It’s not clear how serious New York’s interest is or whether they’ve been in contact with Miami’s front office.

Chisholm will be the subject of ample trade chatter over the next three weeks. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald wrote earlier in the week that there’s increased belief around the industry that he’ll be dealt. The Marlins probably won’t take many players off the table as they continue the rebuild they truly commenced with the Luis Arraez trade at the start of May. Thanks to a brutal series of injuries that has decimated their rotation, Chisholm is probably Miami’s most valuable deadline trade chip.

[Related: Top 50 Trade Candidates]

The lefty-hitting Chisholm connected on his 12th homer of the season in today’s loss to the Astros. He’s carrying a slightly above-average .255/.324/.419 slash line through 377 plate appearances. Chisholm has stolen 18 bases but been thrown out on eight occasions. He’s walking at an average 8.5% clip while striking out just over a quarter of the time.

It might not be dominant production, but Chisholm at least looks like a solid everyday player. Some teams could still view him as an upside play at age 26. Chisholm was a staple on top prospect lists thanks to his evident combination of athleticism and raw power potential. He’s shown glimpses of that ceiling at the big league level — most notably during an All-Star 2022 season in which he hit .254/.324/.535 over his first 60 games. Chisholm’s seeming breakout year was cut short by a stress fracture in his back. He has been a good but not elite player over the past season and a half, hitting .253/.314/.436 with 30 longballs and 40 steals over 755 plate appearances.

That more recent stretch has coincided with a position change. Chisholm was a middle infield prospect who broke into the majors as a primary second baseman. The Marlins moved him to center field when they acquired Arraez going into ’23. Defensive metrics are mixed on his outfield work. Defensive Runs Saved has rated Chisholm 14 runs below average in more than 1500 center field innings. Statcast has him as a neutral defender.

While the Yankees don’t necessarily need outfield help, they should be looking for ways to deepen the lineup. New York has Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo in the corner positions. Aaron Judge has played mostly designated hitter since Giancarlo Stanton landed on the injured list, drawing Trent Grisham into the lineup in center field. Playing Grisham regularly isn’t ideal, but Stanton could be back around the deadline (thereby pushing Judge back to center).

Miami hasn’t played Chisholm for a single inning on the infield dirt since 2022. Manager Skip Schumaker flatly shot down the idea of getting him infield reps after the Fish designated Tim Anderson for assignment at the start of July (X link via Isaac Azout of Fish on First). Other teams may be more willing to rotate Chisholm into the middle infield, at least on occasion. Heyman suggests that if the Yankees were to make a serious run at Chisholm, it’d likely be with an eye to the infield. Neither Gleyber Torres nor DJ LeMahieu have gotten things going offensively, leaving the Yankees without much production from second or third base.

Chisholm is under team control for two and a half seasons, so Miami should net a significant return if they do move him. He’s making just $2.625MM this year, a little less than half of which has yet to be paid.

MLBTR Podcast: Brewers’ Pitching Needs, Marlins Rumors And The Nats Prepare To Sell

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Who gets traded from the Blue Jays at the deadline? (27:55)
  • What will the Mariners do to take advantage on their stellar rotation and make a run for their first World Series appearance? Also, should the Mariners trade J.P. Crawford for a proven hitter? (33:30)
  • Do you think there’s a chance the Braves make Max Fried a legitimate offer to keep him this winter? (39:00)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Marlins Outright Matt Andriese

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The Marlins have sent right-hander Matt Andriese outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment a few days ago. He has the right to elect free agency but accepted an outright assignment with the Marlins earlier this year.

Andriese, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Marlins in February. He has twice been selected to the big league roster this year but both times resulted in a fairly short stay before he was designated for assignment and passed through waivers. Over those two stints, he has tossed six innings over four appearances with four earned runs allowed, leading to an earned run average of 6.00. He’s spent most of the year working a multi-inning role in Triple-A, logging 32 frames over 13 appearances with a 4.78 ERA, 15.6% strikeout rate, 8.5% walk rate and 37.4% ground ball rate.

The Miami pitching staff has been decimated by injuries and might get even further thinned out at the deadline. Braxton Garrett, Sandy Alcántara, Eury Pérez, Jesús Luzardo, Sixto Sánchez, Ryan Weathers and Josh Simpson are all currently on the injured list, with some of those guys out for the year. Tanner Scott seems very likely to be traded as an impending free agent on a club at the bottom of the standings, while guys like A.J. Puk, Anthony Bender, Andrew Nardi, Calvin Faucher and Declan Cronin have been mentioned in trade rumors or are speculative candidates to be moved.

If Andriese decides to report to Jacksonville, as he did when outrighted in April, there’s a decent chance he’ll be called up to the big leagues again as the Marlins wind down the season. From 2015 to 2021, Andriese tossed 509 innings between the Rays, Diamondbacks, Angels, Red Sox and Mariners with a 4.63 ERA, 21.7% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 46.1% ground ball rate. He didn’t pitch in the majors in 2022 or 2023, spending time with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball and the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers.

Marlins Sign Adam Oller To Minor League Deal

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The Marlins have signed right-hander Adam Oller to a minor league deal, per Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 on X. The righty will presumably report to Triple-A Jacksonville at some point in the near future.

Oller, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Guardians in the offseason but was released last week. He had tossed 27 2/3 innings for Triple-A Columbus in a swing role, including six starts and six relief appearances. His 7.48 earned run average in that time was obviously not great and surely contributed to the Guards deciding to let him go, along with his 14.4% walk rate. But he also punched out 26.4% of batters faced, which is a strong clip.

Prior to this season, Oller was with the A’s for a while, coming over from the Mets in the Chris Bassitt trade from March of 2022. He tossed 94 big league innings with Oakland over 2022 and 2023 but with a 7.09 ERA, 13.5% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate. He went to the Mariners on waivers in July of last year but was kept on optional assignment and struggled before being outrighted at season’s end.

Despite the rough numbers of late, there’s logic to the interest from the Marlins. Going back to the start of 2021, Oller has struck out 25.2% of batters faced in 293 2/3 minor league innings. His 4.93 ERA in that time isn’t great, but teams are generally on the lookout for pitchers who can get punchouts.

The Marlins have had their pitching staff decimated by injuries this year, with Braxton Garrett currently on the 15-day injured list while each of Sandy Alcántara, Eury Pérez, Jesús Luzardo, Sixto Sánchez, Ryan Weathers and Josh Simpson are on the 60-day version. As a deadline seller, they could further deplete the staff by trading guys like Tanner Scott, Trevor Rogers, Edward Cabrera and others in the next few weeks.

If Oller can get onto Miami’s roster, he still has one option season remaining and less than a year of service time. If he brings his strikeout stuff to the big leagues, that could make him a long-term piece for the Fish, though he’ll have to earn his way into their plans first.

Marlins Unlikely To Move Jesus Luzardo, Bryan De La Cruz

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The Marlins are open to offers on center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and will have multiple bullpen pieces available in the next three weeks, but they’re not planning to move anyone and everyone on the roster. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports that the Fish aren’t going to move lefty Jesus Luzardo until he’s fully healthy again, which likely points to an offseason trade or even a deal at next year’s deadline. Mish adds that Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez are both likely to stay in South Florida as well. De La Cruz has already drawn interest, but he and Sanchez are both controllable through the 2027 season.

With regard to Luzardo, the notion of holding onto him is rather straightforward. The talented 26-year-old is on the 60-day injured list due to a stress reaction in his lower back. That 60-day term will extend beyond the July 30 trade deadline. Trading Luzardo right now would require selling low, and for a pitcher of his caliber with two remaining seasons of club control, that’s not a palatable course of action. It’s likely possible that a club could still obtain Luzardo by blowing the Marlins away with an offer commensurate with that of one for a healthy Luzardo — but it’s also highly unlikely a team would make that type of offer with Luzardo ailing.

Beyond that, the southpaw simply didn’t pitch up to his capabilities prior to landing on the shelf. Perhaps that back injury played a role, and Luzardo also had a brief IL stint for some elbow tightness early in the season. Whether he’s been fully healthy at any point this season isn’t clear, but the lefty has been tagged for a 5.00 ERA in 66 2/3 frames.

It’s an unflattering mark, though a 21.2% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate are both portents for some improvement. And it’s of course important to emphasize how good Luzardo was in the two prior seasons; the former third-round pick who once rated as the sport’s top left-handed pitching prospect started 50 games and notched a 3.48 ERA with a huge 28.7% strikeout rate and sharp 7.9% walk rate in 279 innings from 2022-23. He averaged 96.7 mph on his heater in those two years, though this year’s average fastball dipped to 95.5 mph — still a strong mark but a red flag for a pitcher who hasn’t been at his best.

If Luzardo is able to return from his back injury in the second half and close out the year in good health, then offseason interest should be robust. He won’t turn 27 until Sept. 30, still boasts a power arsenal, is only earning $5.5MM this season and is controlled through 2026 via arbitration. That type of pitcher should command a significant prospect haul — the type that’s extremely unlikely to be available when Luzardo is on the 60-day IL and questions about his ability to recover from this back injury persist. Luzardo has reportedly continued to draw interest while on the injured list, but it’s safe to presume the offers aren’t close to what they’d be if he were healthy and performing as he did in 2022-23.

As for the pair of outfielders, neither is a household name but both De La Cruz and Sanchez have shown some upside with the bat in the past. They’re both having below-average seasons at the plate in 2024 but have roughly average batting lines in their careers to date. De La Cruz is 27 years old. Sanchez is just 26.

De La Cruz is hitting .237/.286/.410 this season (94 wRC+). He’s popped 15 home runs and is on pace for a new career-high, but his 26% strikeout rate and 6% walk rate both offset some of that solid power. Sanchez is hitting a comparable .239/.291/.386 (92 wRC+) with nine home runs. He strikes out a bit less (23.6%) and walks at a similar 5.8% clip. Both players have notable platoon splits. The left-handed-hitting Sanchez is batting .270/.323/.445 against righties but just .091/.130/.159 against lefties (albeit in only 44 plate appearances). The righty-hitting De La Cruz has hit lefties at a .288/.318/.464 pace but floundered to a .210/.269/.380 line against righties.

There’s a case for the two to simply be platooned, and perhaps on a deeper roster that’d be how they’re utilized. But the Marlins are thin on outfielders as it is, and trading one or both Sanchez and De La Cruz — likely at a fairly low rate — would only further expose that deficiency. With three seasons of remaining club control apiece, there’s no urgency to move either. A big second half or strong start to the 2025 season could increase the trade value of either player.

Sanchez, in particular, has displayed some tantalizing batted-ball metrics that could signify the potential for growth. He’s averaged a whopping 93.5 mph off the bat this season with a huge 51% hard-hit rate. Those figures rank in the 96th and 94th percentile of MLB hitters, respectively. It’s also worth noting that current Marlins president Peter Bendix knows Sanchez well from his prospect days in the Rays system, where Bendix previously served as general manager. (Although that also means that Bendix was in the Tampa Bay front office when Sanchez was traded for Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards.)

Report: “Growing Belief” That Marlins Will Trade Jazz Chisholm Jr.

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The Marlins announced their status as deadline sellers more than two months ago with their surprising early trade of Luis Arraez, and with the trade deadline now just 22 days away, their activity on that front should pick back up. While much of the focus has been on closer Tanner Scott, who’s a free agent at season’s end, Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald reports that there’s a “growing belief” Jazz Chisholm Jr. will also be traded. Mish lists the Mariners as  a “club to watch” if Chisholm is moved and also suggests the Pirates and Royals could join the bidding.

Chisholm, 26, is enjoying a solid season at the plate, hitting .255/.326/.407 (105 wRC+) with ten homers and 17 steals (albeit in 25 tries). He’s struggled with strikeouts on the past, and while his 24.9% rate is still worse than average, it’s a notable improvement over the 29.2% clip he registered in the four prior seasons. He’s paired those improved contact skills with a career-best 8.8% walk rate.

There’s little doubting Chisholm’s raw tools and star-caliber upside. He’s averaged 26 homers and 32 steals per 162 games played in his career. However, he’s never topped 124 games in a season and has only reached 400 plate appearances once to this point in his major league career. Injuries have frequently hobbled Chisholm and caused him to miss significant time. Since establishing himself as a regular in 2021, Chisholm has missed time due to a shoulder injury, a back strain (which required a 60-day IL stint), turf toe and an oblique strain.

Chisholm is earning an affordable $2.625MM this season and is controlled for two more years following the current campaign. He’s been the Marlins’ primary center fielder over the past two seasons, though that move was borne out of necessity. Miami has been unable to develop a center fielder and has come up empty in its long-running attempts to acquire a controllable option at the position. Chisholm, a natural shortstop who slid over to second base early in his career, moved to center field last year and has drawn mixed reviews from most public defensive metrics. He was a plus defender in just over 1300 innings at second base before the move to the outfield.

All three of the potential teams listed in Mish’s report stand as clear fits in a theoretical Chisholm deal. Royals general manager J.J. Picollo has been open about his desire to add a bat capable of playing both the infield and the outfield — a need Chisholm would fill nicely. The Royals have fairly even platoon splits as a team, but the bulk of the team is right-handed — including Kansas City’s two best hitters, Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and second baseman Michael Massey (who’s been limited to just 142 plate appearances due to injury) are the only left-handed bats on the roster who have turned in average or better production, by measure of wRC+.

The Pirates, meanwhile, have received sub-par offensive production from second base this season. Since being called up, former first-round pick Nick Gonzales has delivered roughly league-average offense (.269/.307/.414, 99 wRC+), but he’s been more productive against lefties than righties. Pittsburgh outfielders are also hitting just .227/.299/.352 as a collective unit this season. Chisholm could provide an offensive boost in either role or potentially split his time between the two positions based on matchups.

Both the outfield and second base have been weaknesses for the AL West-leading Mariners as well. The hope in Seattle was that the offseason acquisition of Jorge Polanco would have solidified second base, but the switch-hitter’s steady offensive output unexpectedly cratered this season; in 214 plate appearances, the former Twins infielder has slashed just .189/.280/.284 with a career-worst 33.6% strikeout rate. Their outfielders have combined for a .230/.285/.365 batting line.

With two and a half seasons of club control remaining, an affordable salary and another productive season highlighted by his typical blend of speed and power, Chisholm should come with a relatively steep cost of acquisition. Mish notes that a deal in the offseason is possible as well, if the Marlins don’t get an offer to their liking in the next three weeks, and suggests that even some current non-contenders could look into a deal for Chisholm (both now and in the offseason) as they look toward the 2025 campaign and beyond.

Latest On Marlins’ Bullpen Trade Candidates

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The Marlins should trade a handful of veteran players over the next three weeks. While center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. might be the team’s most interesting candidate, the Fish are also a lock to move at least one reliever.

Closer Tanner Scott, who is on his way to his first All-Star Game next week, has looked likely to move essentially since the Marlins started their season on a nine-game losing streak. The Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies and Orioles were all linked to the hard-throwing lefty last month. Scott is a viable target for any team with postseason aspirations, though, and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald writes that roughly a dozen clubs have expressed interest.

Scott got off to a rather shaky start to the season. After walking seven of the 34 hitters he faced during Spring Training, he handed out 13 free passes in 12 2/3 innings through the end of April. While Scott worked around the walks to turn in a 2.84 ERA in the season’s first month, he’d likely have been in for regression if he didn’t dial in his command.

To his credit, Scott has taken a step forward in that regard. He has walked 10 of 93 opponents (10.8%) going back to May 1. It’s still not pristine control, but it’s significantly better than the 21.3% walk percentage he’d posted through the season’s first few weeks. Strike-throwing is Scott’s only real question mark. He has some of the best raw stuff in the sport, pairing a 97 MPH heater with a wipeout slider. Opponents have only managed 18 hits over 38 innings. They’re hitting .142/.273/.205 across 154 plate appearances.

While this is the first year in which Scott is headed to the Midsummer Classic, he was arguably even better in 2023. Scott pitched to a 2.31 ERA with a 33.9% strikeout rate and a career-best 7.8% walk percentage over 78 innings last year. Over two and a half seasons in South Florida, he owns a 2.82 earned run average while striking out 31.5% of opposing hitters. He has picked up 45 saves and finished 89 games while working as Miami’s closer for the majority of that stretch.

There’s little reason for the Marlins to hang onto Scott past the deadline. He’s headed to free agency for the first time in his career a few months from now. He’ll be entering his age-30 campaign and should have a case for a three- or four-year deal. A rebuilding Miami team isn’t likely to bring him back. Scott is playing this season on a $5.7MM arbitration salary, a little over $2.5MM of which is still owed.

As the lone rental in the bullpen, Scott should be the top priority for president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and his staff. Yet the front office is probably open to discussing their more controllable relievers as well. Mish writes that other teams have shown particular interest in left-hander Andrew Nardi, whom the Marlins control for another four seasons. Mish also lists right-handers Calvin Faucher and Declan Cronin as potential trade candidates, though it’s not clear how strong interest is in those cases.

Nardi is probably the most appealing of that group. His pedestrian 4.72 ERA belies excellent strikeout and walk numbers. The 25-year-old southpaw has fanned 29% of batters faced against a 7.6% walk rate. He’s inducing swinging strikes at a lofty 14.4% clip. Nardi has been plagued by a .337 average on balls in play this season but posted a 2.67 ERA across 57 1/3 frames last year. There should be significant interest, although Mish suggests the Marlins may wind up holding onto Nardi to plug him into the ninth inning next year.

Faucher and Cronin were low-cost offseason acquisitions. The former came over from the Rays alongside Vidal Bruján in one of Bendix’s first trades. Faucher has a 3.55 ERA while striking out nearly a quarter of opponents through 33 innings. Cronin, claimed off waivers from the Astros in February, has a 3.35 ERA with solid peripherals over 43 frames. The 26-year-old righty has average strikeout and walk numbers while running a massive 55.7% ground-ball percentage.

NL East Notes: Schwarber, Harper, Luzardo, Arcia

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The Phillies were shut out in today’s 6-0 loss to the Braves, dropping Philadelphia to a respectable 5-4 record in its nine games without injured sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.  The good news is that at least Schwarber will be activated from the 10-day injured list for the Phils’ next game on Tuesday, and Harper seems on track to be activated at some point this week, even if Tuesday is still up in the air for the former NL MVP.

Both players ran the bases prior to today’s game, with MLB.com reporting that Schwarber has now been running at full intensity for two straight days, while Harper was running “either at or close to 100% intensity.”  Schwarber was sidelined with a groin strain and Harper with a hamstring strain, so baserunning is essentially the final step in assessing whether either player is fully ready to return.  While neither injury was thought to be overly serious, it is obviously a great sign for the Phillies that the initial assessment seems to be accurate, so the team won’t have any longer-term concerns about two key members of their everyday lineup.

More from around the NL East…

  • Even though Jesus Luzardo is on the 60-day injured list, teams are still checking in with the Marlins about the left-hander’s availability, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes.  Luzardo’s initial IL placement took place on June 19, so he won’t be back until August 18 at the earliest as he recovers from a lumbar stress reaction.  If Luzardo was indeed able to return around that date and return in good form, there would be plenty of time for the southpaw to contribute to a contender for the remainder of the season, yet naturally his health situation would make for some tricky trade negotiations with Miami.  From the Marlins’ perspective, it is hard to imagine they would agree to sell low on one of their top trade chips, especially since Luzardo is still under team control through the 2026 season.
  • Orlando Arcia entered today’s action hitting .209/.245/.332 over 314 plate appearances, and with the lowest wRC+ (58) of any qualified hitter in baseball.  It has been an ugly dropoff for a player who had roughly a league-average 101 wRC+ for the Braves in 2022-23, and Arcia was even an All-Star last season after moving into the starting shortstop role.  Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that the Braves are seemingly okay with letting Arcia try to find himself at the plate, since he is at least continuing to deliver strong glovework at the shortstop position.  While Atlanta has been aggressive in promoting prospects in recent years, Toscano doesn’t think the team is considering bringing the hot-hitting Nacho Alvarez up to the majors as a potential replacement for Arcia, as Alvarez only just made his Triple-A debut last month.

Marlins Claim Darren McCaughan

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The Marlins announced this afternoon that they’ve claimed right-hander Darren McCaughan off waivers from the Guardians and optioned him to Triple-A. Left-hander Ryan Weathers was transferred to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move to make room for McCaughan on the 40-man roster.

McCaughan, 28, was a 12th-round pick by the Mariners back in 2017 and has pitched in parts of three big league seasons since making his debut in Seattle back in 2021. He hasn’t found much success in the majors to this point with a 9.12 ERA and nearly matching 9.02 FIP across 24 2/3 innings of work in the big leagues, and his minor league numbers (including a 5.25 career ERA at the Triple-A level) do little to inspire confidence in the righty’s abilities either. While many of those innings of work were pitched in the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League, McCaughan’s struggles continued with Cleveland’s International League affiliate as he posted a 5.06 ERA in 32 innings at the level with the club this year.

The move actually marks McCaughan’s second stint in the Marlins organization. The righty was acquired by the club in a cash deal with the Mariners back in February and spent the early part of the season with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Jacksonville before the club dealt him to Cleveland in a second cash trade in early May. McCaughan even made an appearance at the big league level with the Marlins during his brief stint with the club, allowing eight runs in 4 2/3 innings of work in one appearance for the club. He’ll likely serve in a similar depth role for the Marlins going forward, acting an innings-eating spot starter or multi-inning reliever as necessary.

As for Weathers, the southpaw has been on the injured list since early June due to a strained index finger. Manager Skip Schumaker told reporters (including those at MLB.com) that Weathers’s placement on the 60-day IL wasn’t a setback, exactly, but that the lefty was still dealing with swelling and figured to be another four to six weeks away from a return to action. That makes the transaction more procedural than anything else, although the news is surely still frustrating for fans in Miami. After all, Weathers has emerged as perhaps the club’s most reliable arm this year before going down with injury, as MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald discussed back in June. In 13 starts with the Marlins this year, Weathers has posted a 3.55 ERA with a 3.93 FIP.

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