As the Winter Meetings wrap up with a lot of moves being completed, perhaps one of the bigger surprises comes from the Miami Marlins who have traded right-hander Anthony DeSclafani and catching prospect Chad Wallach in order to acquire right-hander Mat Latos from the Cincinnati Reds.
Latos has spent six years in the major leagues, three with the San Diego Padres and the last three three with the Reds. He dealt with injuries early in the 2014 campaign, making just 16 starts – his fewest since arriving in the majors. He threw 102.1 IP this past season, with an ERA of 3.25, a 5-5 record, and 74 strikeouts.
Over his career he’s 60-45 with a 3.34 ERA and 859 strikeouts in 135 starts.
DeSclafani made his MLB debut in 2014, appearing in 13 games including making five starts. Over 33 innings he gave up 23 earned runs for an ERA of 6.27, while striking out 26 batters.
Wallach split the 2014 season between High-A and Class-A, hitting seven home runs and driving in 57 while hitting .322.
The Reds may need some time before seeing how this deal ends up working out. DeSclafani has some MLB experience, but some feel that he simply isn’t ready yet to step into the rotation on a full time basis. Wallach still has a long ways to go before he’ll reach the majors.
With Jose Fernandez expected back in the middle of the season, Latos will serve as Miami’s de factor ace until then. The 1-2 punch that they’ll then create should be a great combination. Latos is a work horse that has thrown at least 180 innings in four of the past six seasons.