Marlins Trade For Prado, Phelps From Yankees

The Marlins have traded starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, backup first baseman Garrett Jones, and pitching prospect Domingo German to the New York Yankees for utility man Martin Prado and starter David Phelps. The YES network’s Jack Curry and Joel Sherman reported the trade.

Martin Prado was traded to the Yankees at the trade deadline last season and was arguably one of their best players down the stretch. He hit .316 with a .336 OBP anf .877 OPS in 37 games. Prado really can play anywhere on the field other than pitcher or catcher and enjoys variance in where he is every day.

David Phelps started 17 games for the Yankees last season, going 5-5 with a 4.38 ERA. He is arbitration eligible for the first time in 2015 and is under team control through the 2018 season.

Nathan Eovaldi has been involved in multiple trade discussions this off-season. With a starting rotation that seemed full it made sense to trade a piece, but receiving Phelps back is an interesting move. Perhaps the Marlins front office plans on using Phelps to help bolster the bullpen.

Garrett Jones also seemed not to have a home in Miami anymore as evidenced by the team’s desire to sign another first baseman this off-season. When the team was able to land free agent Michael Morse, the exit for Jones was inevitable.

Domingo German is arguably the most important piece of this trade. The 22 year old righty has been with the Marlins since 2010 and has done very well from the Gulf league up through single A ball this season. In 2014, German went 9-3 with a 2.48 ERA in 25 starts. He struck out 8.2 per nine innings pitched and only gave up 6 home runs in 123.1 innings. Unfortunately for the Marlins, he is one his way to pitch for the Yankees.

Prado brings more veteran leadership to the Marlins as well as versatility in his ability to play anywhere. Trading for Phelps gives the Fish one extra year of team control compared to Eovaldi. Losing German is a tough pill to swallow, but gaining a player like Prado is going to help the team immediately.