Yankees trade Prado to Marlins for Eovaldi in 5-player deal
Martin Prado's short-lived run in New York is over.
The Yankees shipped the versatile Prado to the Miami Marlins on Friday in exchange for a package that includes right-handed starter Nathan Eovaldi. Prado was acquired by the Yankees at last year's trade deadline and hit .316 with seven homers in 37 games in the Bronx.
Miami also receives pitcher David Phelps and a reported $6 million in cash from the Yankees, who get first baseman Garrett Jones and minor-league prospect Domingo German back in the deal.
Prado's versatility promises to play well for the retooled Marlins, who have already added second baseman Dee Gordon and slugger Michael Morse to a roster built around superstar outfielder Giancarlo Stanton.
Morse is expected to assume everyday first base duties, but where Prado fits in remains to be seen. The most likely scenario involves the nine-year veteran sliding over to the hot corner to replace the offensively-challenged Casey McGehee. Despite McGehee's solid end-of-year OBP of .355, he slugged just .310 during the second half.
Prado, meanwhile, has seen the majority of his time at third base the last few seasons, suiting up for 110 games at the position in 2014. The 31-year-old batted .282/.321/.412 with 12 homers and 26 doubles in 143 games with the Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks last season. He's under contract for the next two seasons at a value of $11 million per year.
Miami has also acquired pitchers Mat Latos and Dan Haren this winter to provide further depth to its rotation next season, opening the door for the Yankees to snatch up the hard-throwing Eovaldi (pictured above).
Eovaldi gives the Yankees a mid-rotation type arm under club control through the 2017 season. The 24-year-old is projected to earn $3.1 million in his first year of arbitration this winter, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
The right-hander is coming off a career-high 199 2/3 innings pitched, but sputtered after the All-Star break following a solid first half.
| Eovaldi 2014 | IP | SO | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Half | 119.2 | 83 | 3.61 | 1.21 |
| 2nd Half | 80.0 | 59 | 5.51 | 1.51 |
Despite his second-half struggles, Eovaldi helps stabilize New York's pitching depth after the Yankees lost four-fifths of their starting rotation last year to injury.
Eovaldi's high fastball velocity - which sat at an average of 97 miles per hour in 2014 - doesn't translate into many strikeouts, but he did lower his walk rate significantly last season. He'll be counted on to provide innings out of the back half of the rotation with starters Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova all returning from injury.
Jones, meanwhile, is added insurance for the Yankees from the left side of the plate at first base and the designated hitter positions. The 33-year-old veteran has hit at least 15 homers in six straight seasons and owns a career .811 OPS against right-handers.
Phelps, 28, pitched to a 4.38 ERA with 92 strikeouts over 113 innings as a reliever and starter for the Yankees in 2014 and remains under club control through 2018.
German started 25 games for the Marlins' Triple-A affiliate in 2014, crafting a 2.48 ERA with 8.2 strikeouts-per-nine. The 22-year-old right-hander was recently rated the sixth-best prospect in the Marlins organization by Baseball America.