Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition

Marlins make a trade with the Yankees.

- By Tim Healey Staff writer thealey@sunsentine­l.com

For his first trade with his new team, Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter turned to his old team.

The Marlins made a minor deal Monday with the New York Yankees, acquiring first baseman Garrett Cooper and left-hander Caleb Smith, plus added four of their own minor leaguers to their 40-man roster prior to the league’s 8 p.m. deadline.

The newly rostered outfielder Braxton Lee, righthande­r Merandy Gonzalez, right-hander Pablo Lopez and right-hander James Needy are protected from the looming Rule 5 draft. Had they not been added to the 40-man Monday, they would have been at risk of being picked by other teams Dec. 14 at the end of the Winter Meetings.

The Marlins’ 40-man roster is full.

In exchange for Cooper and Smith, the Marlins sent low-level minor league pitcher Michael King and internatio­nal bonus pool money to New York. The bonus money was worth $250,000, according to a source.

Cooper and Smith offer the Marlins what the organizati­on severely lacked in 2017: controllab­le depth.

Both should, at minimum, compete for major league jobs during spring training.

Cooper, 26, got into 13 major league games for the Yankees last year, posting a .326/.333/.488 slash line. He spent most of 2017 with the Brewers’ Triple-A team, hitting .366 with a .428 OBP and a .652 slugging percentage in about a half-season worth’s of games.

Smith, 26, joins a group of pitchers who will battle for rotation jobs come February. He was unremarkab­le in his first major league action — 7.71 ERA in nine games (two starts) — but had a good year with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, with a 2.39 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 19 games.

The Marlins’ other four 40-man additions were ac- quired during the 2017 season. Lee was a part of the Adeiny Hechavarri­a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, Gonzalez the AJ Ramos trade with the New York Mets, and Lopez the David Phelps trade with the Seattle Mariners. Needy was signed out of an independen­t league in June.

Lee, 24, has impressed since joining the Marlins in June. He won the Southern League batting title with a .309 average, then went to the Arizona Fall League and batted .347 in 20 games.

Gonzalez, 22, is the Marlins’ No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. In his first full minor league season, Gonzalez had a 2.21 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 22 games (20 starts) combined in Low A and High A.

In six starts for High-A Jupiter, Lopez, 21, had a 2.58 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.

Needy, 26, worked mostly as a starter in the Arizona Fall League in recent weeks.

 ?? AP FILE ?? Caleb Smith, 26, had a 2.39 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 19 games with the New York Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.
AP FILE Caleb Smith, 26, had a 2.39 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 19 games with the New York Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.

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