The Oakland Athletics have lept into the trade market with just over two days until the MLB trade deadline. Oakland is acquiring outfielder Starling Marte from the Miami Marlins, according to Craig Mish. In return, the Marlins will receive starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
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Through 63 games this year, Marte is slashing .306/.407/.453 with seven homers, 25 RBI, 32 walks, and 57 strikeouts this season. The former All-Star is handy on defense, too, as he ranks in the 94th percentile in terms of outs above average. His .376 wOBA also ranks among the top-10 percent in all of baseball. The 31-year-old is one of the top outfielders on the trade market and seemed like a near-lock to be traded after extension talks with the Marlins fell through.
Marte, a rental who is set to hit free agency in November, will join an outfield that currently features Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano, and Stephen Piscotty. Presumably, Piscotty will be the one losing his starting job to Marte.
Marte is on the final season of a six-year, $31 million contract. He’s earning $12.5 million in total this season and is owed roughly $4.6 million over Oakland’s final 60 games. It’s worth noting that Miami will pay for the entirety of Marte’s remaining salary, as Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reported.
A Homecoming for Luzardo
Luzardo, who is heading back to Miami, is a 23-year-old southpaw who is 2-4 with a 6.87 ERA over 13 games (six starts) in the majors this season. He has good fastball velocity, throwing the pitch at an average of 96 mph this season. He also improved his curveball in 2021 as opponents are hitting just .151 against it. The breaking ball also registers a 55.3 percent whiff rate, which is a significant increase from its 45.7 percent rate in 2020.
Clearly, Luzardo is a massive return for the Marlins, especially considering Marte is a veteran rental. Luzardo, a former third-round pick and Florida native, gets to head home. He’s under team control through 2025 and making the league minimum this season.
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