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The Marlins have decided to trade from their starting pitching surplus to address other needs, reportedly sending rookie right-hander Zac Gallen to the Diamondbacks. Shortstop prospect Jazz Chisholm is coming back to Miami.
The trade was officially announced less than an hour before Wednesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
Here is Pitcher Zac Gallen now a member of the Diamondbacks who met with the Media minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/UUQ3RwNOC8
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) July 31, 2019
Gallen, who turns 24 on Saturday, annihilated Triple-A competition during the first half of the season to propel his way into the Marlins rotation. From there, he’s produced well with a 2.72 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 36 1⁄3 innings. Baseball America recognized him as a MLB Top 100 prospect earlier this month (currently No. 72).
Chisholm, 21, is slashing .204/.305/.427 at Double-A this season. The left-handed hitter entered 2019 as a consensus Top 100 prospect, but the recent offensive struggles caused him to drop off of Baseball America’s list. Originally a low-profile signing out of the Bahamas, he has demonstrated all the tools to stick at shortstop moving forward.
Here is footage of Chisholm from the 2018 Arizona Fall League, courtesy of 2080 Baseball:
(The 2080 evaluator, John Eshleman, is now employed by the Marlins. Maybe not a coincidence!)
As Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman of the Cespedes Family Barbecue Twitter account summed it up, this is undoubtedly a fun “challenge trade” for both sides:
love love love this 1-for-1 D-backs/Marlins trade -- the juxtaposition between the profiles and trajectories of the two players is fascinating
— Cespedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) July 31, 2019
this year, Gallen has skyrocketed past expectations while Jazz has undeniably disappointed. Miami has targeted huge upside in their recent trades -- albeit with limited success thus far -- but could hit big here. Jazz is electric. Gallen looks really good. fun baseball trade!!!
— Cespedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) July 31, 2019
The Marlins would need to place Chisholm on their 40-man roster this upcoming offseason to protect him from being selected in December’s Rule 5 Draft. There are currently two available spots on the 40-man, though Pablo López and Drew Steckenrider will likely be using them within the next few weeks upon returning from their respective injuries.
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman was first to report Gallen’s involvement in the trade. FNTSY Sports Radio host Craig Mish broke the news about Chisholm.