Rockies acquire Minors reliever from Marlins
DENVER -- The Rockies acquired Minor League right-handed reliever Chad Smith by sending righty reliever Jesus Tinoco to a Marlins team seeking pitching depth closer to being big-league ready. Neither club has announced the deal.
By trading Tinoco, 26, the Rockies cleared a spot on their 40-man roster, which will sit at 39 once the teams acknowledge the deal. Smith will go into the Rockies’ player pool but not on the Major League roster.
Smith, 25, a Marlins 11th-round pick out of the University of Mississippi in 2016, split last season with Class A Advanced Jupiter and Double-A Jacksonville and went a combined 3-2 with a 4.54 ERA in 41 2/3 innings. He struck out 46 and walked 24.
Over his four Minor League seasons, Smith has gone 12-9 with a 4.46 ERA with 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings, but also 4.3 walks per nine. Scouting reports say Smith has solid velocity and a good slider, but he needs to throw strikes more consistently. He was in the Marlins’ player pool, but he's never been on a 40-man Major League roster and has all of his Minor League options.
Tinoco, 26, joined the Rockies as part of the deal that sent star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to the Blue Jays in 2015. He debuted in the Majors last season with 24 games (0-3, 4.75 ERA, 46 strikeouts, 24 walks).
Righty Jeff Hoffman -- who is 2-0 with seven strikeouts and two walks in 6 1/3 innings over three scoreless appearances this season – is the last player still with the Rockies from the Tulowitzki trade.