Marlins acquire pitchers Andrew Cashner, Colin Rea from Padres
MIAMI (AP) -- Buyers at the trade deadline for a change, the Miami Marlins believe they now have enough starting pitching to make a playoff push.
The Marlins acquired the rotation reinforcements they sought in a trade Friday that cost them four players. Right-handers Andrew Cashner and Colin Rea were sent to Miami by the San Diego Padres in the seven-player deal.
Miami also will receive pitching prospect Tayron Guerrero for right-handers Jarred Cosart and Carter Capps and two minor leaguers, pitching prospect Luis Castillo and first baseman Josh Naylor. The Marlins will receive $2,171,257 from the Padres to cover most of the $2,539,617 remaining in Cashner's $7.15 million salary this year.
The one message it does send is that we're trying to win," Miami manager Don Mattingly said. "We're not trying to go backward. We have an opportunity here."
The Marlins are in contention for their first playoff berth since 2003 despite a shaky rotation. Aside from ace Jose Fernandez, their starters are 23-24 with an ERA of 4.40.
Rea will start Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals, and Cashner will start the series finale Sunday.
Cashner is 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA in 16 starts, including a 2.55 ERA in his past three outings while being showcased for a trade.
"We wanted to get someone that was hot and could bring an immediate impact," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said.
Cashner has a career record of 30-49 with a 3.73 ERA in seven seasons. Mattingly, former manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, faced the 6-foot-6 right-hander often in the NL West.
"I've seen him really good," Mattingly said. "He's got power stuff. I saw him when he was their No. 1, and he has that kind of stuff."
Rea, who is in his second major league season, is 5-5 with a 4.98 ERA in 19 games this year.
Cashner is eligible to become a free agent after this season. Rea, 26, has a salary of $510,200 and is under team control through 2018.
The Padres are fourth in the NL West and looking to future seasons, and for them the prize in the deal might be Naylor, 19, a left-handed power hitter taken by the Marlins in the first round of the 2015 draft. He is batting .269 with nine home runs this year for Class A Greensboro.
Cosart went 13-11 in 2014 with Houston and Miami but has struggled since. This year he is 0-1 with a 5.95 ERA in four starts with the Marlins, and 3-4 with a 4.09 ERA in 10 starts for Triple-A New Orleans.
Capps, a reliever with a 100 mph fastball, underwent Tommy John surgery in March and is expected to be ready for opening day 2017.
"We traded away good players," Hill said. "To get quality, you have to give quality."
Miami's already thin rotation was further depleted last week when left-hander Wei-Yin Chen went on the disabled list because of a sprained elbow. Cashner and Rea will join Fernandez, Tom Koehler and Adam Conley.
Marlins players applauded the trade.
"Cashner has very good stuff," Fernandez said. "I've actually faced him hitting, and I don't like to hit against him. I think he's going to help us get to where we need to go."
Miami designated outfielder Cole Gillespie and infielder Cole Figueroa for assignment.
The trade is the second between the Marlins and Padres this summer. In June, Miami acquired All-Star reliever Fernando Rodney for a minor league pitcher.
On Tuesday, San Diego traded outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. to Toronto for minor league right-hander Hansel Rodriguez. The Padres agreed to pay the Blue Jays $17,275,410, including $1,825,410 this year and $15.45 million next year -- matching his entire 2017 salary.
