CINCINNATI -- With little in the way of leverage to command a greater return, the Marlins settled on a couple of minor-league relievers in order to complete a deal with the Cubs for Jacob Turner. The Marlins acquired right-handers Tyler Bremer, 24, and Jose Arias, 23, for Turner, who was snatched up by the Cubs after being designated for assignment.
Bremer and Arias were at Single A Kane County and both are older than the 23-year-old Turner.
Bremer was 5-1 with a 2.43 ERA and 12 saves in 28 relief appearances for Kane County -- the Cubs' High-A team -- while Arias was 1-1 with a 1.77 ERA in 25 relief outings. Neither pitcher is ranked among the Cubs' top 30 prospects.
One scout described the two relievers as "up-and-down major leaguers -- at best."
But once they decided to designate Turner, the Marlins didn't have a lot of choice.
"The Cubs were the club awarded with the claim," said Michael Hill, the Marlins' president of baseball operations. "They had exclusive negotiating rights for his services. You could have pulled him back, but then you wouldn't have been able to trade him to the Cubs. Your only real recourse would have been to go through release waivers."
Asked if the Marlins could have dealt Turner before the July 31 trading deadline and received something better in return, Hill replied: "It was a name we had discussed. Leading up to the trade deadline, if the right deal would have been there, it would have been something we would have considered. The right deal just never came up."
____________________
The roster received a makeover before Friday's game against the Reds, with six players changing places.
First, Jennings was placed on the 7-day concussion list after being struck in the head by a line drive last night in Pittsburgh. The word on Jennings remains good. The pitcher tweeted Friday that he was flying home to be with family.
The Marlins also optioned Brian Flynn and Kike Hernandez to Triple A New Orleans. Hernandez was sent down because the Marlins want him playing every day. Flynn, of course, made Thursday's start in Pittsburgh as an emergency fill-in for Jarred Cosart.
Promoted from NOLA were pitchers Anthony DeSclafani and Edgar Olmos and infielder Ed Lucas.
The Marlins will announce another move following tonight's game, with Brad Penny expected to start Saturday at Great American Ball Park. Even though Penny is in Cincinnati waiting to make his first major league appearance in two years -- and his first with the Marlins in 10 -- the Marlins are waiting to announce the move until after the game.
__________________
Tom Koehler ordered one of the new protective caps designed exclusively for pitchers before spring training, wore it around the house for a day or two, and eventually decided it was too uncomfortable to wear in a game situation. It now sits in his garage.
"Something needs to be done," Koehler said Friday, one day after Marlins teammate Dan Jennings was struck in the head with a line drive. "I think it's going to take a league-mandated rule to get guys to do it (wear a protective cap). With the technology we have today, there's got to be a way to find something. I don't know what it's going to take. But hopefully it doesn't take something more drastic than yesterday for a change to be made."
Koehler has been struck in the head with a line drive. It happened in his very first college game at Stoney Brook.
"I probably had a concussion, but I don't really know," Koehler said. "I was on a plane two days later to pitch against USC in California. The first guy hit a line drive back to me, and I almost pooped in my pants."
_________________
Finally, for your viewing pleasure, Giancarlo Stanton turned into a camel jockey for a MLB special. Check it out:
Comments