Diamondbacks deal Starling Marte to Marlins
PHOENIX -- The Miami Marlins acquired outfielder Starling Marte in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, giving the Marlins a versatile hitter and defender as they try to make a surprising push for the playoffs.
The Diamondbacks received pitchers Caleb Smith and Humberto Mejia and a player to be named later.
Marte, 31, played most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he was an All-Star in 2016 but also served an 80-game suspension in 2017 after testing positive for steroids. The two-time Gold Glove winner in left field was traded to the Diamondbacks during the offseason and played well, batting .311 with two homers, eight doubles and five stolen bases while playing center field.
Marte is eligible for free agency at the end of the season but has a $12.5 million option on his contract for next year.
Marte went through personal tragedy in May when his wife, Noelia, died of a heart attack.
The Diamondbacks turned into sellers at the trade deadline after losing 10 of their past 11 games. They also traded All-Star left-hander Robbie Ray to the Toronto Blue Jays and closer Archie Bradley to the Cincinnati Reds.
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The Marlins also traded infielder-outfielder Jonathan Villar to the Blue Jays for a player to be named later. Villar is batting .259 with nine stolen bases and is eligible for free agency after this season.
The Marlins are in the running for a playoff spot in this year's expanded 16-team format. They had a COVID-19 outbreak early in the year that kept them off the field for more than a week but have bounced back, and their 15-15 record was good for second in the National League East entering play Monday.
Smith, 29, has pitched just once this year, giving up one run in three innings on July 25. He was 10-11 with a 4.52 ERA in 28 starts in 2019. Mejia, 23, made his big league debut earlier this year and has a 5.40 ERA in three starts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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