Marlins prove buyers at Deadline, swing trio of deals

MIAMI -- With the Marlins in the thick of the postseason race during a full season for the first time in seven years, general manager Kim Ng orchestrated a trio of moves ahead of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.

Hours later, the Marlins dropped a 3-1 heartbreaker to the Phillies at loanDepot park that showed why it was a good call to prioritize the lineup. Miami outhit Philadelphia 11-6 but stranded 11 runners, then newly acquired closer David Robertson blew the save to spoil Sandy Alcantara’s eight-inning scoreless gem.

Miami (57-51), which dropped one game back in the National League Wild Card standings, added slugging infielder Jake Burger from the White Sox and switch-hitting first baseman Josh Bell from the Guardians. To cap the series of deals, the Marlins traded for left-handed starter Ryan Weathers from the Padres.

TRADE DETAILS
Marlins get: INF Jake Burger
White Sox get: LHP Jake Eder (No. 4 prospect)

Marlins get: 1B Josh Bell
Guardians get: INF Jean Segura (later released), INF Kahlil Watson (No. 11 prospect)

Marlins get: LHP Ryan Weathers
Padres get: 1B Garrett Cooper, RHP Sean Reynolds, cash

“There aren't that many times when you're in this type of situation,” Ng said during the game. “[Principal owner Bruce] Sherman and the entire ownership group [was] completely supportive of us really going out there and spending some money and making sure that we support these guys who for the first four months of the season have absolutely just played their hearts out.

“When you're in this type of situation, you just have to make sure that you treat that with care and that you understand how big a deal this is for the city and for the Marlins’ fans and for all those guys downstairs, and you have to do what you can to improve the club.”

A 2017 first-round pick out of Missouri State, Burger has slashed .214/.279/.527 with 15 doubles, 25 homers and 52 RBIs in 2023 -- his first full season in the big leagues. He has also posted a 31.6% strikeout rate and a 6.8% walk rate, which goes against the Marlins' philosophy of seeking out professional hitters with plate discipline.

However, Burger's 25 homers match Miami All-Star Jorge Soler for the team lead, and his 52 RBIs would rank third. The Marlins entered Tuesday third-to-last in homers with the fifth-fewest runs in MLB. Plus, Burger’s a controllable bat who can’t become a free agent until after the 2028 season.

“With 25 home runs two-thirds of the way into the season, with as many baserunners as we get on, we thought this was an opportunity for him to get some RBI,” Ng said. “In terms of the profile, you always have an ideal that you're shooting for, but you're not necessarily going to get that profile on every single hitter. In Josh Bell, we do have a guy that has very good plate discipline, knows the strike zone very well. And we just thought that the mix of these two with our hitting staff is going to be great.”

According to Statcast, Burger is elite in the following categories: average exit velocity (92nd percentile), maximum exit velocity (100th), hard-hit percentage (91st), xSLG (93rd) and barrel percentage (99th). He is on the other side of the spectrum when it comes to whiff percentage (fifth percentile), K rate (seventh) and chase rate (sixth).

Miami also liked the 27-year-old Burger’s versatility, though his defensive metrics are below average. He has appeared at third base (53 games), designated hitter (25), first base (five) and second base (five) this season.

The 30-year-old Bell, who was on the Marlins’ radar over the offseason, hit 19 doubles and 11 homers for Cleveland after signing a one-year, $16.5 million contract with a player option for 2024. An All-Star with the Pirates in '19, Bell previously played in the NL East from ‘21-22 with the Nationals.

“Tough to see those guys go," manager Skip Schumaker said postgame. "However, when you add on Josh Bell, [a] switch-hitter power hitter, Jake Burger, who hits the ball as hard as anybody in the Major Leagues, when you add some power and slug component to your lineup, you get really excited about what that lineup could look like."

Weathers, 23, is a 2018 first-round pick who can’t become a free agent until after '27. Since making his debut in ‘21, however, he has a 5.73 ERA in 43 games (29 starts) with a three-pitch mix led by a four-seamer that averages 94.9 mph. The son of former Marlin David Weathers, Ryan was pitching at the Triple-A level at the time of the trade. Miami had yet to decide his role.

“I've been here since 2018,” Alcantara said. “I know everything the Marlins have gone through, losing a lot of games. And this year, we're doing great. I think there's a lot of people surprised about us, but we've been waiting to win some games, and this year we do it. I think we're just going to keep doing what we're doing, keep fighting against any team and win games.”