Marlins Acquire Luke Williams From Giants
The Marlins announced they’ve acquired utilityman Luke Williams from the Giants for minor league infielder Hayden Cantrelle. San Francisco had designated Williams for assignment last week.
Williams returns to the NL East, where he began his career as a third-round pick of the Phillies. He reached the majors for the first time last season, getting into 58 games and hitting .245/.315/.316. Williams showed solid plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills, but he collected just five extra-base hits in 108 plate appearances. It was a similar story at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he posted a .270/.329/.341 line through 143 trips to the dish.
The Phils designated Williams for assignment in Spring Training, and the Giants brought him in for minor league third baseman Will Toffey. His stint in the Bay Area was brief, as the 25-year-old got into just eight MLB games and made ten appearances with their top affiliate in Sacramento. The Giants later acquired a pair of infielders — Kevin Padlo and Donovan Walton — from the Mariners, and they’d seemingly surpassed Williams on the depth chart.
Miami picks up a versatile infield option for manager Don Mattingly. Williams has played all over the diamond in the minor leagues, with the bulk of his action coming at third base. He still has all three option years remaining, so the right-handed hitter can bounce between the majors and Triple-A Jacksonville for the foreseeable future if the Fish keep him on the 40-man roster.
Miami already has a fair bit of infield depth, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Miguel Rojas comprising the everyday middle infield. Offseason trade pickup Joey Wendle has been the primary third baseman, though he’s been on the injured list for two weeks because of a hamstring strain. That’s left Brian Anderson to step back third base from his corner outfield role, although Wendle is currently on a rehab assignment with Low-A Jupiter and should be back before long. Out-of-options utilityman Erik González is on the active roster as a depth player.
Cantrelle, like Williams, spent less than two months with the club that traded him today. The Marlins landed the 23-year-old as one of two players in the Spring Training deal that sent catcher Alex Jackson to Milwaukee. Cantrelle was a fairly recent fifth-round pick of the Brew Crew. A good runner who’s primarily a second baseman, he has struggled offensively during his pro career. Cantrelle is hitting .185/.312/.337 through 110 plate appearances with Double-A Pensacola. The University of Louisiana product has drawn plenty of walks in the minors, but he’s also struggled quite a bit with strikeouts.
Brewers Acquire Alex Jackson From Marlins
Just hours after acquiring Víctor Caratini from the Padres, the Brewers have landed another catcher. Milwaukee is picking up Alex Jackson from the Marlins in exchange for minor leaguers Hayden Cantrelle and Alexis Ramirez, according to announcements from both teams.
Milwaukee already had a pair of vacancies on the 40-man roster, and Jackson has been optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Milwaukee is still set to open the year with a catching tandem of Omar Narváez and Caratini, but Jackson joins prospect Mario Feliciano as depth options on the 40-man roster.
Jackson, 26, spent less than a season as a Marlin. The Fish acquired from the division-rival Braves for Adam Duvall last summer. He appeared in 42 games with Miami late last year, hitting .157/.260/.278 while striking out in 48.8% of his 123 plate appearances. That marked Jackson’s most extended MLB work, as he’d picked up just 50 plate appearances in Atlanta between 2019-21.
Obviously, Jackson will need to make more contact moving forward. The right-handed hitter is a former 6th overall pick and top prospect, though, drawing praise from evaluators for big raw power and arm strength behind the dish. Jackson has popped 42 home runs and 29 doubles in 597 career Triple-A plate appearances. That’s massive power production, although it’s been accompanied by a .234 batting average and .318 on-base percentage.
Jackson has one option year remaining, so the Brewers can stash him at Nashville for the rest of this season. If he stays on the 40-man roster, Milwaukee will have to decide whether to carry him on the active roster in 2023. For now, he’ll add some depth to a catching group that just lost Pedro Severino to an 80-game PED suspension and saw Brett Sullivan shipped to San Diego in the Caratini deal.
Cantrelle was a fifth-round pick in 2020 out of the University of Louisiana. The 23-year-old drew some praise for his athleticism and defensive aptitude on draft day, but he’s coming off a rough professional debut. Cantrelle hit .175/.376/.313 in 341 High-A plate appearances during his first pro action last year. He stole 28 bases and walked in an incredible 22.6% of his trips to the dish, but Cantrelle also fanned 26.4% of the time and only had 20 extra-base hits. Baseball America slotted him 37th in the Milwaukee farm system this winter.
Ramirez signed as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic during the 2017-18 signing period. He pitched at a pair of rookie ball levels during his first two professional seasons. Ramirez hasn’t pitched in game since 2019; after the 2020 minor league season was canceled, he spent all of last season on the minor league injured list. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote last July that he was up to 96 MPH with a potential above-average slider in 2019.