Marlins acquire pair of D-backs prospects in Puk trade

MIAMI -- The Marlins made their first move of Trade Deadline season on Thursday night, sending setup man A.J. Puk to the D-backs in exchange for a pair of Arizona's Top 30 prospects: corner infielder Deyvison De Los Santos and outfielder Andrew Pintar.

When Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix spoke to MLB.com on Tuesday, he noted the club's strategy would be a combination of open-mindedness and fearlessness to move forward.

De Los Santos, 21, received a promotion from Double-A (where he had a 1.122 OPS) to Triple-A this season and hasn't missed a beat despite facing competition more than five years older on average. In 49 games with Triple-A Reno, he had 14 doubles, one triple, 14 homers, 47 RBIs and a .926 OPS.

According to MLB Pipeline's scouting report, De Los Santos' raw power and exit velocity rank among the best in the Minors thanks to his bat speed and strength. What could hold him back is his plate discipline, though he has dropped his strikeout rate from 26% to 22.9%. His walk rate (5.2%) has remained the same.

Ranked as Arizona's No. 14 prospect per MLB Pipeline, De Los Santos is projected to make his big league debut this season. This comes on the heels of Arizona leaving him unprotected on its 40-man roster and the Guardians selecting him in the Rule 5 Draft before returning him in late March.

In 2024, De Los Santos has seen more time at first base than third; there could be a vacancy should Miami trade away first baseman/designated hitter Josh Bell, whose contract expires at the end of the season. The organization's highest-ranking corner-infield prospect is Jacob Berry (Miami's No. 7 prospect), a former first-round pick currently playing at Double-A Pensacola.

"He's got some of the best power production, really -- in our opinion -- in all of Minor League Baseball, and what he has done this year at the age and the level that he's at is really exciting," assistant general manager Brian Chattin told a small group of reporters on Friday. "Right-handed power is hard to find, even harder to acquire, and so for us to be able to get him included in this deal is something we're really excited about."

As for Pintar, the 23-year-old was struck by the injury bug to end his collegiate career at BYU (shoulder surgery) and then early in 2023 when he broke his ankle stepping on a ball while playing with Single-A Visalia. He opened '24 at High-A, where he posted a .919 OPS and earned a promotion to Double-A. Pintar has played just 10 games at that level.

The D-backs moved Pintar from second base to center field to utilize his elite speed. He has 19 steals and has been caught just once in 69 games this season. Other center fielders in the Marlins' system include Triple-A's Victor Mesa Jr. (No. 5 prospect) and Single-A Jupiter's Dillon Head (No. 6), the latter of which underwent season-ending hip surgery.

"[Pintar] can impact the game in a lot of different ways," Chattin said. "He's efficient on the bases, he runs the bases extremely well -- not just the stolen bases, his instincts are excellent. He plays tremendous defense. He'll take walks, and then once he's on base, he's someone you have to contend with. He's the kind of player that it's not just about the bat. There's other aspects of his game that bring value."

The 29-year-old Puk opened 2024 in the rotation after an impressive Grapefruit League performance, but the results didn't translate over four regular-season starts (9.22 ERA) before he landed on the injured list with left shoulder fatigue.

When Puk returned, he pitched out of the bullpen. He changed his sweeper back into a hard slider and ditched the splitter, helping him become a dominant setup man (2.08 ERA in 28 outings) for closer Tanner Scott.

Puk, who is making $1.8 million in 2024, has two more years of arbitration eligibility before he can become a free agent.

Miami acquired Puk from Oakland for outfielder JJ Bleday at the beginning of Spring Training last season. Though Puk trained over that offseason to be a starter in the Majors for the first time with the A's, he began the season as the Marlins' closer before losing the role in July.

"We don't get to the playoffs [in 2023] without A.J. Puk and what he provided to get to that really special season," manager Skip Schumaker said. "... He came back [from the IL this season] and some guys wouldn't come back like he came back. He came back not only as a back-end reliever, but one of the best in the game."

Dealing Puk is likely the first of several trades Miami will make in the coming days. Other candidates include Scott and Bell, each of whom has an expiring contract, as well as center fielder/second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. Southpaw Andrew Nardi is likely to move into Puk's role in left-handed pockets.