Miami Marlins acquire reliever A.J. Puk from Oakland Athletics for JJ Bleday
The Miami Marlins continued to bolster the back end of their bullpen.
The Marlins on Saturday acquired left-handed pitcher A.J. Puk from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for outfielder JJ Bleday.
The move, a swap of former first-round picks (Oakland drafted Puk sixth overall in 2016; Miami drafted Bleday fourth overall in 2019), further was Miami’s latest move this offseason to improve its group of relief pitchers, with Puk having a chance to compete for a late-inning role.
Puk, who turns 28 in April, posted a 3.12 ERA with 76 strikeouts against 23 walks and four saves over 66 1/3 innings spanning 62 appearances.
According to Statcast, Puk’s 27-percent strikeout rate ranked in the 75th percentile among all qualified pitchers last season and his 29-percent swing-and-miss rate was in the 72nd percentile. He has a three-pitch mix, weaving in a four-seam fastball that averages 96.7 mph and sinker that averages 96.1 mph with a mid-80s slider.
He now joins a bullpen that includes righties Matt Barnes and Dylan Floro as well as lefties Tanner Scott and Steven Okert as high-leverage relief options. Miami also acquired right-handed pitcher J.T. Chargois from the Tampa Bay Rays in November and selected Nic Enright in the Rule 5 Draft in December to add to its bullpen options.
The team also added four prospects — Sean Reynolds, Josh Simpson, Eli Villalobos and George Soriano — to the 40-man roster earlier this offseason as well. Righties Huascar Brazoban and Tommy Nance as well as lefty Andrew Nardi are also bullpen options on the 40-man roster.
The move also reunites Puk with left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo. The two were both drafted by Oakland in 2016 and were roommates during their time with the organization.
Puk will now also be closer to his younger brother, Owen, who is a sophomore on the FIU baseball team.
Bleday made his MLB debut last season but struggled. He hit just .167 with a .586 on-base-plus slugging percentage and 67 strikeouts in 238 plate appearances.
He was also buried down the Marlins’ outfielder depth chart and unlikely to crack the Opening Day roster. Avisail Garcia, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jorge Soler, Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez, at minimum, are ahead of Bleday. Utility player Jon Berti, while primarily an infielder, can play all three outfield spots. Beyond them, Miami still has Peyton Brudick and Jerar Enarnacion among top prospects who are pegged to start at Triple A Jacksonville. And beyond them, Miami has depth in prospects Brian Miller and Jake Mangum, both of whom are non-roster invitees to big-league spring training.
This story was originally published February 11, 2023 at 7:48 PM.
.JPG)