PHOENIX (AP) Miami acquired outfielder Starling Marte in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, giving the Marlins a versatile hitter and defender as they try to make a surprising push for the playoffs.
The Diamondbacks received pitchers Caleb Smith, Humberto Mejia and a player to be named.
The 31-year-old Marte played most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he was an All-Star in 2016. The two-time Gold Glove winner in left field was traded to the Diamondbacks during the offseason and played well, batting .311 with two homers, eight doubles and five stolen bases while playing center field.
Marte is eligible for free agency at the end of the season. He went through personal tragedy in May when his wife, Noelia, died of a heart attack.
The Diamondbacks turned into sellers at the trade deadline after losing 10 of their past 11 games. Earlier on Monday, they also traded All-Star left-hander Robbie Ray to the Blue Jays.
The Marlins also traded infielder-outfielder Jonathan Villar to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named. Villar is batting .259 with nine stolen bases and is eligible for free agency after this season.
The Marlins are in the running for a playoff spot in this year’s expanded 16-team format. They had a COVID-19 outbreak early in the year that kept them off the field for more than a week but have bounced back and their 15-15 record is good for second in the NL East.
The 29-year-old Smith has pitched just once this year, giving up one run in three innings on July 25. He was 10-11 with a 4.52 ERA in 28 starts in 2019. The 23-year-old Mejia made his big league debut earlier this year and has a 5.40 ERA in three starts.
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AP Sports Writer Steven Wine in Miami contributed to this story.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
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