The trade season is officially upon us, with the first participants being the Miami Marlins and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Marlins are trading left-handed reliever A.J Puk to the Diamondbacks in exchange for minor leaguers Deyvison De Los Santos (INF) and Andrew Pintar (OF). The Diamondbacks will receive the bullpen arm they’ve been seeking and the Marlins look like they’re entering yet another rebuilding phase.
Puk’s Performance
The former sixth overall pick by the Oakland Athletics debuted in 2022 in Oakland as a late inning reliever and was promptly traded in the offseason. He continued to work out of the bullpen in 2023 for the Marlins and fared well with a 3.97 ERA in 56 1/3 innings, racking up 15 saves along the way.
His season ERA currently stands at 4.30, largely due to his abysmal start as a starting pitcher this year. He started the 2024 season in the Marlins rotation and got knocked around for 17 runs in just 13 2/3 innings across four starts. In these starts, he walked 17 batters and struck out just 12, later hitting the shelf due to “shoulder fatigue”. In his return from injury and return to the bullpen, Puk has been excellent, as in 30 1/3 innings out of the bullpen, he has a 2.08 ERA and a 28.9 K%. He will continue to work out of the bullpen in Arizona as he clearly performs better in a bullpen role.
Significance For The Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been lacking left-handed relievers with Joe Mantiply being their only lefty in the bullpen. He has a solid 3.99 ERA but is a soft tosser as he averages just 89.2 mph on his fastball. Puk will be a much different left-handed arm as he averages 94.8 mph on his fastball with plenty of strike outs.
A.J Puk will slot in perfectly in the Diamondbacks’ bullpen as the Snakes hope Mantiply and Puk can be a lethal one-two lefty combo in late innings. He is making $1.8 million this year and will be under team control until the 2026 season.
Significance For The Marlins
The Marlins are receiving a pair of prospects in Deyvison De Los Santos and Andrew Pintar. According to Baseball America’s JJ Cooper, De Los Santos would have been the 8th ranked prospect in Arizona’s system with Pintar taking the 21st spot.
De Los Santos has been excellent in AA and AAA this year. In total, he has 28 home runs, showing his 70/70 raw grade power, along with a slash line of .289/.338/.588 for a .926 OPS. He is a bit prone to strike outs, but his 22.6 K% in AAA this year is a big improvement from his past rates. At just 21 years-old in AAA, De Los Santos’ upside looks sky high as he has an ETA at 2026 but could appear as soon as the latter half of 2025 if he continues his upwards trajectory in the minor leagues.
Pintar, on the other hand, has done most of his damage in High-A this year with just a short stint in AA. In 57 games in High-A this year, the 23 year-old centerfielder is slashing .304/.403/.516 for a .919 OPS. His strike out and walk percentages were fantastic (16.9 K% to 13.8 K%), something that has not continued in his short stint at AA this year as he is striking out 26.1% of the time while keeping a 13 BB%. Many scouts have dubbed Pintar as a solid contact and speed guy and the Marlins could see him roaming their cavernous outfield as soon as 2027.
Overall Expectations
The Marlins’ rebuild has officially begun once again, with a bullpen arm being the first piece to exit South Beach. The Arizona Diamondbacks strike first with acquiring A.J Puk, a much needed high-leverage arm for the postseason push, while the Marlins will start to hoard prospects in hopes of contending in the future.
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