Marlins select Campbell, trade for Pop

MIAMI -- The Marlins are in the market for bullpen help, and they may have found a couple of options in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft on Thursday.

Miami selected right-hander Paul Campbell from the Rays’ Triple-A roster with the 13th pick of the MLB phase of the Rule 5 Draft. And shortly after the Draft was completed, Miami swung a deal with the D-backs for right-hander Zach Pop.

Pop was taken sixth in the Rule 5 Draft by Arizona from the Orioles' system. In exchange, Miami is sending the D-backs a player to be named later.

Rated by MLB Pipeline as Tampa Bay’s No. 24 prospect, Campbell has experience starting and throwing out of the bullpen. The 25-year-old is a multi-innings candidate with a fastball that’s consistently been clocked in the 92-95 mph range. He has an opportunity to help the Marlins in multiple roles.

Pop underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, and he will be 20-plus months removed from surgery when Spring Training begins.

On the Marlins' Rule 5 Draft board, Pop and Campbell were the top two pitchers.

"We added two very good arms to our mix that we expect to compete for spots in Spring Training," Marlins general manager Kim Ng said in a statement.

Pop was a seventh-round pick of the Dodgers in 2017, and he was one of five prospects dealt to the Orioles in the Manny Machado trade.

The Rule 5 Draft closed out the 2020 Winter Meetings, which were conducted virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighteen players were taken in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft, and the Marlins came away with two of them. Both Campbell and Pop will be added to the 40-man roster, which is now at capacity.

Conversely, the Marlins didn’t lose any players off their Minor League roster in the MLB phase.

As Rule 5 Draft picks, Campbell and Pop have to be retained on Marlins’ 26-man roster in 2021 or be offered back to their original team. The cost to acquire a Rule 5 Draft pick in the MLB phase is $100,000. If the player is returned, teams receive $50,000 back.

The Marlins made three selections in the Triple-A phase: left-hander Jake Fishman, right-hander Dylan Bice and infielder Marcus Chiu.

Fishman was picked from the Blue Jays' roster in the first round of the Triple-A phase. A 30th-round pick by Toronto in 2016, Fishman has a 2.97 ERA in 113 Minor League games, with 183 strikeouts in 166 2/3 innings.

Formerly with the Rangers, Bice was taken in the second round, and Chiu was picked from the Dodgers' system in the third round of the Triple-A phase.

In the Triple-A phase, the Marlins lost right-hander Brett Graves, who was selected by the A’s. A third-round pick by Oakland in 2014, Graves was a Rule 5 Draft pick of Miami in '17.

The Marlins have a history of being active in the Rule 5 Draft. Among their success stories is right-hander Elieser Hernandez, a Rule 5 Draft pick in 2017. Hernandez is part of Miami’s rotation.

Due to the pandemic, there was no Minor League season in 2020, making the prospect evaluation process more challenging.

In 2019, Campbell combined for a 13-8 record with a 3.67 ERA in 144 2/3 innings. He split time that year at Class A Advanced Charlotte and Double-A Montgomery.

At 6-foot and 210 pounds, Campbell attended Clemson University and was a 21st-round pick of the Rays in the 2017 MLB Draft.

Campbell has a history of Minor League performance, posting a career 21-10 (3.12 ERA) in 233 1/3 innings. He’s made 33 career starts and 49 overall appearances.

Players first signed at age 18 must be added to 40-man rosters within five seasons or they become eligible to be drafted by other organizations through the Rule 5 Draft process. Players signed at age 19 or older have to be protected within four seasons.

For this year, that means an international or high school Draft pick signed in 2016 -- assuming he was 18 or younger as of June 5 of that year -- has to be protected. A college player taken in the '17 Draft is in the same position.