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There was a collective sigh of relief from Marlins fans on Sunday, as FNTSY Sports Radio host Craig Mish reports that the team has finalized its midseason trade with the Twins by sending cash considerations. That asset was originally expected to be a player to be named later.
The full terms:
- Marlins acquire 1B Lewin Díaz
- Twins acquire RHP Sergio Romo, RHP Chris Vallimont and cash considerations
Romo was owed a bit over $800,000 of his $2.5 million salary when the teams agreed to terms on July 27. This payment covers an unspecified portion of that.
Even with the impressive farm system depth that the Marlins have amassed over the past two years, a young player with any reasonable chance of reaching the major leagues carries more value than a six-figure cash payment. Heading toward an 100-loss season, the Fish should savor every one of these figurative “wins.”
The first baseman Díaz wrapped up his 2019 campaign with Double-A Jacksonville on Saturday. He slashed .200/.279/.461 with 8 HR and a 108 wRC+ in 129 PA with the Jumbo Shrimp.
Lewin Díaz has 8 hits since being traded to the Marlins. Half of them have been homers
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) August 9, 2019
Tonight's majestic blast pic.twitter.com/I00lFnumYS
The Marlins will need to add the Dominican slugger to their 40-man roster this offseason, but he’s a long shot to suit up for them on Opening Day 2020. He’ll likely pass through the new Triple-A affiliate in Wichita beforehand.
For the AL Central-leading Twins, Romo continues to be a solid late-inning relief option (3.55 ERA, 3.85 FIP, 0.2 fWAR in 12.2 IP). He memorably made his first two post-trade appearances against his former team in Miami. Health permitting, the 36-year-old will have a significant role on their postseason roster.
Notoriously messy Florida State League weather limited Vallimont to only 22 1⁄3 innings with Minnesota’s High-A affiliate. Following a poor debut, he responded with back-to-back-to-back great starts (19.2 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 25 K). With the Marlins and Twins organizations combined, the 2018 draft pick racked up 150 strikeouts.
MLB Pipeline currently ranks Díaz as the No. 13 Marlins prospect and Vallimont as the No. 29 Twins prospect.