Marlins acquire infielder Derek Dietrich from Tampa Bay for infielder Yunel Escobar

MIAMI - The Marlins tonight acquired minor league infielder Derek Dietrich from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for infielder Yunel Escobar, as announced by Marlins’ President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest.

Dietrich split the 2012 season between single-A Charlotte and double-A Montgomery, batting a combined .279 (141x505) with 71 runs scored, 28 doubles, 10 triples, 14 home runs and 75 RBI. He was ranked as the Rays’ ninth-best prospect following the 2012 campaign.

A product of Georgia Tech University, Dietrich was a second-round pick of the Rays in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft and has a career average of .278 with 39 home runs and 176 RBI in 304 minor league games. He finished the 2011 season as single-A Bowling Green’s Most Valuable Player and Midwest League All-Star while also being ranked as the Rays’ Best Power Hitter, according to Baseball America.

Escobar, 30, acquired as part of the Marlins 12-player trade with the Toronto Blue Jays on November 19, appeared in a career-high 145 games with a .253 average (141x558), 22 doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 51 RBI in 2012.

Additional information on the 2013 Marlins is available on the team's official website, www.marlins.com.