Marlins acquire Vidal Brujan and Calvin Faucher from Rays
In Peter Bendix's first trade as the POBO of the Marlins, he acquires a pitcher and infielder.
The Marlins made their first trade of the 2023-2024 offseason and their first under President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix. The former Rays GM traded away 17-year-old RHP Erick Lara and 24-year-old RHP Andrew Lindsey to Tampa Bay in exchange for 25-year-old INF Vidal Brujan and 28-year-old RHP Calvin Faucher. This marks a busy day for the Marlins on the non-tender deadline, as they also signed Tristan Gray to a minor league deal on Friday morning.
Trade Breakdown:
Vidal Brujan:
Formerly the #3 prospect in a talented Rays system, Brujan hasn’t yet lived up to the hype in the majors. Brujan has a .157 batting average and .439 OPS in 272 career plate appearances. Brujan made his MLB debut in 2021 but appeared in just ten games. He played 52 games in 2022 and 37 games in 2023. Bendix and the Marlins believe that Brujan will have a breakout year and finally start putting up good numbers in the majors. The Marlins recently non-tendered Garrett Hampson, so that should help Brujan get an opportunity with the Marlins big league squad if he’s worthy of it.
Calvin Faucher:
Meanwhile, Calvin Faucher could be a solid low-leverage arm in the Marlins bullpen. Faucher had a rough year in 2023, recording a 7.01 ERA in 17 appearances. Faucher was primarily used as an inning-eater with Tampa, as he threw 25.2 innings in 17 games, including four starts as an opener.
Erick Lara and Andrew Lindsey
Erick Lara made a great first impression in his professional debut this summer, recording a .861 OPS and .305 batting average in 128 at-bats with the DSL Marlins. Lara hits lefty and plays shortstop, so we’ll have to wait and see how he pans out in the Rays organization. As for Andrew Lindsey, the Marlins drafted him in the fifth round this summer. Lindsey only pitched in two games with the FCL Marlins, but he recorded a 2.90 ERA in 21 total outings and nine starts with Tennessee in 2023.
My Thoughts:
I think this is one of those trades where you have to wait and see how it works out for the Marlins and Rays. Tampa Bay is getting two players who have only played rookie ball, and Miami is getting two unproven players with a bit of MLB experience.