Marlins acquire Tarpley from Yankees; designate Moran
The Miami Marlins continued to reshape the bullpen after a rough year by their relievers.
On Wednesday, the Marlins acquired left-hander Stephen Tarpley from the New York Yankees in exchange for infield prospect James Nelson and cash considerations. To make room on the 40-man roster, Miami designated reliever Brian Moran for assignment.
Tarpley, who was designated for assignment last week, has posted a 5.88 ERA and 1.81 WHIP in 31 major-league appearances over the past two seasons. A thirdround pick by the Baltimore Orioles in 2013, Tarpley split 2019 between the Yankees and their Triple-A affiliate. In 18 appearances for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, he notched a 3.13 ERA and 64 percent ground ball rate.
The 26-year-old lefty was unable to replicate those numbers in the majors, posting a 6.93 ERA and a 36 percent ground-ball rate.
Tarpley primarily relies on his slider, which accounted for 47.4% of his pitches last season with New York. His breaking ball was very effective, resulting in a .189 opposing batting average with a 45.4% whiff rate.
His low 90s sinker, which accounted for 32.2% of his pitches, was crushed by opposing hitters, however. Last season, teams hit .563 off his heater.
The former Yankee saw a significant gap in his lefty/righty splits during the 2019 season. He posted a 2.31 ERA versus left-handed batters but was hammered against righties, as shown by an 11.08 ERA.
Despite uneven production in the majors, Tarpley will have a chance to crack the major-league roster when the team reports to Jupiter next month for spring training.
Over the past few months, the Marlins have jettisoned a number of relievers from last season, including Tayron Guerrero, Austin Brice, Tyler Kinley, Kyle Keller,
Wei-Yin Chen and Moran. Miami has also added Yimi Garcia and Sterling Sharp this offseason.
Miami signed Garcia from the Los Angeles Dodgers and plucked Sharp from the Washington Nationals’ farm system in the Rule 5 draft.
On the other side of the trade, Nelson heads to New York after struggling over the past two seasons. A 15th-round pick in 2016, the infielder produced an impressive 2017 season with Low-A Greensboro hitting .309/.354/.456 (132 wRC+) with 31 doubles and seven home runs. Since then, Nelson has failed to advance past High A, spending the past two seasons with Jupiter. This past year, he hit .228/.279/.296 (72 wRC+) in 121 games.
Moran, who finally made his MLB debut this past season after 10 years in the minors, posted a 4.26 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 6 1⁄3 innings. The 31-year-old lefthander likely has a decent chance at clearing waivers and could stay in the Marlins’ system.