Trades made sense, Hill says
After a quiet lead-up to Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline, the waning hours provided a flurry of moves from the Marlins.
Miami shipped reliever Brad Ziegler to Arizona and outfielder Cameron Maybin to Seattle before the 4 p.m. cut-off point. The Marlins received reliever Tommy Eveld, shortstop Bryson Brigman and an undisclosed amount of international bonus pool money in return for the two veterans.
With Miami sitting at 46-62 and 13 games out of a playoff spot, Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said the team received numerous inquiries about players from MLB teams.
“This time of year is always quite hectic, because the goal is always to find ways to make your organization better,” Hill said on a conference call. “I think that will always be a consistent theme for this organization, to maximize our assets and make decisions that make sense for us as we continue to build a sustainable championship organization.
“The calls were steady. I think in the end we were very happy with both deals we were able to make and maximizing the value of good expiring contracts.”
A reliable bullpen arm, Ziegler garnered significant attention prior to the deadline. Since June 5, the 38-year-old veteran has
been among the best relievers in baseball, posting a 0.64 ERA in in 28 appearances.
“There were multiple teams [interested in Ziegler] from start of this trading period,” Hill said.
“We felt like Brad Ziegler would be a popular candidate because of the role he could potentially fill. Once he moved into that right-handed setup role from closer, you saw from the numbers he was extremely effective. He’s a ground ball machine, an extremely difficult at bat for right-handed hitters.
As you get into playoffs, those are increasingly more valuable. To have a weapon like Brad — he’s a tremendous piece to add to a playoff contender.”
On the Marlins’ new additions, Hill cited Eveld as
a “power right-handed arm that we think will pitch high-leverage meaningful innings.” On Brigman, the Marlins’ president of baseball operations noted he fits the team’s goal of developing athletic middle infielders.
Eveld will report to Double A Jacksonville, while Brigman will go to High-A Jupiter.
Numerous other Marlins were rumored in potential deals before the deadline, but the team held firm. While playoff contenders are always seeking bullpen depth, the Marlins have relievers such as Kyle Barraclough, Adam Conley and Drew Steckenrider under controllable contacts.
“We’re building something,” Hill said.
“The controllable pieces we have in Miami — we’re extremely happy to have them as organization. We think they’re a part of what
were trying to build and allowing us to be a consistently competitive organization. We knew there were some names out there that were popular, but in the end those players are still Miami Marlins and we’re excited they’re still Miami Marlins.”
Prior to the deadline, All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto was reportedly being sought after by the Washington Nationals, but the Marlins opted to keep the 27 year old, who has 2 1⁄2 years left on his current deal. Realmuto has been one of the top catchers in baseball, hitting .309 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI this season.
Regarding a possible extension for the catcher, Hill said “at the appropriate time, it will be something that will be discussed.”