Miami Marlins trade Miguel Rojas to Los Angeles Dodgers for infielder prospect
Rojas #Rojas
Miguel Rojas’ tenure with the Miami Marlins has come to an end.
The Marlins have finalized a deal to trade the two-time National League Gold Glove Award-finalist shortstop — and their de facto team captain — to the Los Angeles Dodgers for infielder prospect Jacob Amaya, a source confirmed to the Miami Herald on Wednesday night. The Athletic was first to report a trade was imminent.
And so ends Rojas’ eight-year run with the Marlins, which was the longest among players on the roster before his trade.
Rojas had a career .265 batting average with 260 RBI, 38 home runs, 136 doubles and 293 runs scored over 870 games with Miami. He also was a finalist for the National League Gold Glove Award at shortstop in both 2020 and 2022 and grew to be a leader in the Marlins’ clubhouse over the past four seasons. He received a pair of contract extensions from the Marlins, both two-year deals ahead of the 2020 and 2022 seasons after showing his commitment to the Marlins’ rebuild that still has not led to consistent results after six years. He also served as the team’s representative for the MLB Players’ Association.
“I showed my commitment that I wanted to stay here and I wanted to be here throughout the whole process,” Rojas said at a press conference after signing the second extension. “I just want to make sure that I continue to be the rock that builds the foundation for this process.”
Rojas now returns to the team he was previously with before joining the Marlins. Miami acquired Rojas on Dec. 10, 2014, in a trade that also sent Dee Strange-Gordon and Dan Haren to Miami in exchange for Andrew Heaney, Chris Hatcher, Austin Barnes and Kike Hernandez. He made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2014, primarily being used as a defensive replacement.
Since then, he morphed into a capable everyday starting shortstop during his tenure with Miami.
Scouting Jacob Amaya
As for the return, the Marlins are getting one of the Dodgers’ top infielder prospects in Amaya. The 24-year-old is ranked as Los Angeles’ No. 15 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and finished last season with the Dodgers’ Triple A affiliate. In 133 games last season (49 in Double A, 84 in Triple A), Amaya hit .261 with a .795 on-base-plus-slugging mark, 17 home runs (a single-season high), 71 RBI (tied for a single-season high) and 85 runs scored (a single-season high). He also walked in 14.3 percent of his plate appearances.
“He’s most effective when he employs a controlled right-handed stroke and focuses on hitting line drives and getting on base,” reads his MLB Pipeline scouting report. “He could hit .260 with 12-15 homers per season.”
Defensively, Amaya has played the majority of his games at shortstop, with MLB Pipeline saying he had “the best infield defense in the Dodgers system.”
“His high baseball IQ and constant energy allow him to maximize his tools and play faster than his average speed,” the scouting report continues. “His quick, reliable hands and a strong, accurate arm help make him a plus defender at shortstop and will serve him well in a projected utility role.”
Marlins infield breakdown
With Rojas gone, the Marlins will now have to reconfigure their infield defense. The original plan was for All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. to remain at second base, Rojas play shortstop and new signee Jean Segura to spent the majority of his time at third base despite playing the bulk of his 11-year career in the middle infield.
Chisholm is expected to stay at second base. So the question now is how Miami aligns the left side of the infield.
If the Marlins want to, they can slide Segura back into the middle infield and have him play shortstop. That would leave Joey Wendle to platoon with any of Jon Berti, Amaya, Jordan Groshans or prospect Xavier Edwards at third base. Wendle is a left-handed hitter. Edwards is a switch hitter. Berti, Amaya and Groshans are righties.
Or they could keep Segura at third like they wanted and have Wendle and Chisholm make up the middle infield with any of the other aforementioned players as backup or platoon options.
Groshans exclusively played third base in his 17-game stint with the Marlins late last season but also has experience at shortstop. Edwards, who has yet to make his MLB debut, has played second base, shortstop and third base in the minors.
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