MLB Hot Stove Trade Alert: Rays trade former top infield prospect in four-player swap with the Marlins
The Marlins new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix didn’t waste much time making his first trade.
The Marlins and Rays completed a four-player deal, Miami lands infielder Vidal Brujan and right-handed pitcher Calvin Faucher in exchange the Rays acquire infielder Erick Lara and right-hander Andrew Lindsey.
The former top prospect Brujan headlines the trade. The Dominican native was once a top 10 prospect in the Rays system, per Baseball America.
He owns 272 MLB plate appearances and has a career .157/.218/.221 slash line with three home runs. The 25-year-old has been at Triple-A Durham, hitting .273/.357/.450 over parts of three seasons. This past season, he posted.272/.362/.477 slash with 10 home runs and 19 stolen bases, he was also caught 14 times over 59 games for the Bulls this year.
Brujan haș no remaining options, meaning he will need to spend the season with the Marlins or run the risk of being exposed to waivers.
Faucher was designated for assignment by the Rays on Tuesday. The 28-year-old struggled this season posting a 7.01 ERA and 1.68 WHIP through 25.2 big-league innings in 2023, and he ended the season on the 60-day injured list due to lingering biceps tendinitis.
The Rays get a young shortstop in Lara who signed with the Marlins as an international free agent this season for $85,000. The Dominican shortstop is “wiry strong and already drives the ball well, flashing home run power to his pull side from a loose lefthanded swing. He’s still 16 with a chance to play shortstop, though he could eventually outgrow the position and fit at third base,” according to Baseball America.
Lindsey heads to the Rays after he spent a few months in the Marlins system. He was drafted in the fifth round, No. 146 overall out of the University of Tennessee. He was one of seven pitchers the Marlins drafted in the 2023 MLB Draft.
The righty offers a slider with good breaking action on the pitch and a fastball that averages between 93-95 mph. Lindsey has added two mph to that pitch that can top out at 98 mph at times. He mostly pitched out of the bullpen in college, he did make nine starts in 21 games for the Vols.
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