The Marlins get another useful infielder, and the Yankees get a young arm with some questions.
The Marlins and Yankees had a few extra but intriguing parts lying around, and they've swapped them in the hopes of each club getting better. The Marlins get Martin Prado and the two years and $22 million remaining on his deal along with David Phelps and an undisclosed amount of cash, while the Yankees picked up 24-year-old Nathan Eovaldi as the centerpiece of a deal that also brought them platoon first baseman/outfielder Garrett Jones and minor-league arm Domingo German. The YES Network's Jack Curry was the first to report the trade.
The Yankees re-signed Chase Headley to play third base and have minor-league infielder Rob Refsnyder ready to take over at second, so Prado was an extra, albeit useful, piece. Refsnyder is unproven, but he batted .300/.389/.456 at Triple-A last year after battering Double-A pitching, and the Yankees would like to inject some youth into the lineup somewhere. Eovaldi gives them a young arm who can at the least give them innings: he tossed 199 frames in 2014, but they weren't good ones, with Eovaldi posting a well below-average 87 ERA+.
He's been better than that in the past, at least, and there could be life for him in the bullpen if starting doesn't work out. He's inexpensive, and the Yankees need arms. A right-hander who struggles to retire lefties is a bit of an odd choice for Yankees Stadium and the AL East, but the Yankees might be able to succeed where the Marlins did not with Eovaldi. Plus, he's younger than Phelps, and has accomplished more as well.
German pitched in High-A as a 21-year-old this past summer, posting a 2.48 ERA with 4.5 times as many strikeouts as walks. There is still work to be done there -- 2014 was his first season with over 20 starts and 100 innings -- but he's an arm to keep an eye on as he moves up the ranks.
As for Prado, it's unclear exactly where he'll fit in with the Marlins. Third base is the logical destination, as it lets Casey McGehee slide back into more of a utility role. Dee Gordon was acquired earlier this offseason, presumably to play second base. Martin Prado isn't a first baseman with his solid but unspectacular bat, but even if he were, the Fish signed Michael Morse for that role already, which is also why they were able to move Jones. So, third base it is.
It's a bit odd to see the Marlins taking on millions in payroll while the Yankees try to add some youth to their lineup and rotation, but Andrew Friedman has money and the Padres are making high-profile moves. This move hardly merits mention alongside the other weirdness we've seen this offseason in that context.