Former Marlins slugger signed with the division rivals

It has now been made official, a former Miami Marlins hitter is no longer a free agent. I'm of course talking about Bryan De La Cruz. The former Marlins OF has just signed with the division rival Atlanta Braves. This comes at the same time as some interesting rumors involving potential trades between The Fish and the Chicago Cubs. So is it wrong for Peter Bendix not to have went after him?

Bryan De La Cruz is now playing for the Atlanta Braves.

Bryan De La Cruz played for the Miami Marlins from 2021 to 2024. He was never a big star on the team. He also never had a WAR higher than the 0.9 mark that he achieved in the 2021 season. In what was essentially his debut season, he batted .296/.356/.427, with 5 home runs and 19 RBI in 58 games and 199 AB. That was a promising debut and seemed to indicate that he could be a future lineup stalwart.

In 2022 however, Bryan De La Cruz batted a worse .252/.294/.432, with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 115 games and 329 AB. He was worth 0.6 WAR this time around. Could he have done better in the 2023 season? The answer was technically a resounding "no", as he batted just .257/.304/.411, with 19 home runs and 78 RBI in 153 games and 579 AB. His poor defense led to a disastrous -0.3 WAR for his performance.

2024 was a split season for De La Cruz, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates mid-season. He batted .233/.271/.384 between the two teams in 149 games and 584 AB. He had 21 home runs and 68 RBI in 149 games and 584 AB. He was worth a horrible -1.5 WAR for that performance. The Atlanta Braves signed him to a one-year non-guaranteed deal. He will essentially have to earn a roster spot in Spring Training basically. He seems to be more of a depth option there, than an actual starter, with LF being his best chance at becoming a starter. The Miami Marlins didn't need him back.