Marlins trade AJ Ramos to the New York Mets

Marlins closer AJ Ramos is on his way to the Big Apple, acquired by the New York Mets in what can only be described as a surprising move.

The Mets traded for Ramos late Friday night, parting with their #9 and #22 prospects in RHP Merandy Gonzalez and OF Ricardo Cespedes per MLB pipeline. Both were in Single-A ball in the Mets system and will presumably head there with the Fish.

With the Marlins having signaled their intention to sell by parting with Adeiny Hechavarria and David Phelps earlier in the year, Ramos was considered a top trade candidate around baseball, having saved twenty ballgames to this point with a 3.63 ERA/3.91 FIP and having proven himself a reliable late-inning arm for a number of years. He’d been frequently mentioned in conjunction with the likes of a variety of contenders: The Colorado Rockies, The Chicago Cubs, The Milwaukee Brewers, to name a few.

So it comes as something of a shocker that it was the New York Mets ended up snagging Ramos, as the Mets are actually behind the Marlins in the standings. The extra year of control had to be enticing to the Mets who’s regular closer Jeurys Familia’s ongoing injuries have left his reliability going forward uncertain. Still, inter-division trades are somewhat rare and it might get a little awkward the first time Ramos has to close out a game against the Fish (presuming he is the closer in the first place).

There will certainly be more to this story as it continues to unfold, we will continue to update as more information becomes apparent. Stay tuned to Fish Stripes for all things Marlins!