The Marlins have agreed to a trade sending outfielder Corey Dickerson to the Blue Jays, reports Craig Mish of the Miami Herald (Twitter links). MLB Network’s Jon Heyman adds that the Jays are acquiring right-handed reliever Adam Cimber, while the Marlins will receive veteran infielder Joe Panik and a minor league pitcher. Miami is covering the majority of the difference in salaries in this deal, per Mish.
It’s a bit of a surprise move on a number of levels. Dickerson is presently on the injured list with a foot contusion, and it’s unclear when he’ll return to the field (although he’s eligible at any time having already spent more than 10 days on the shelf). Meanwhile, it’s a bit unexpected to see the Fish taking back a struggling veteran infielder such as Panik, but Miami does have a pair of infielders (Brian Anderson, Jose Devers) on the injured list at the moment.
What’s not surprising, from a broader perspective, is that the Marlins would be seeking a trade partner for Dickerson. The 32-year-old has been a roughly league-average bat since signing a two-year, $17.5MM deal with Miami in the 2019-20 offseason and is hitting .263/.324/.380 through 225 trips to the plate in 2021. But the Marlins have multiple young outfielders they’d like the chance to evaluate for the remainder of the 2021 season, including Jesus Sanchez, who now figures to get the bulk of the time in left field following Dickerson’s departure. The 23-year-old Sanchez decimated Triple-A pitching, slashing .349/.400/.643 with nine homers, five doubles and three triples through 140 plate appearances prior to his promotion. He now has a clearer path to everyday at-bats in Miami.
For the Blue Jays, Dickerson figures to slide into a part-time outfield role. Toronto currently has Lourdes Gurriel Jr., George Springer, Teoscar Hernandez and Randal Grichuk in the mix for outfield at-bats, but all four hit right-handed. Dickerson’s left-handed bat makes for a nice fit, particularly given his longstanding platoon issues. He’s held his own against lefties in his career, hitting .268/.305/.408 but has thrived against right-handers with a .287/.333/.514 output.
While Dickerson is the more recognizable name of the two going back to the Jays in this deal, Cimber was no doubt a key part of the equation for Toronto GM Ross Atkins, who’d previously voiced a desire to bolster his bullpen. Cimber, a 30-year-old sidearmer, does just that. He’s pitched in 34 1/3 innings so far with the Marlins and notched a 2.88 ERA — albeit primarily in low-leverage situations.
Cimber doesn’t miss many bats, but that’s often the case with sidearm and submarine pitchers. He’s posted just a 15.9 percent strikeout rate so far in 2021 — about nine percent lower than league-average — but also sports better-than-average walk and ground-ball percentages (7.9 and 49.5, respectively). He rarely gives up premium contact, sitting in the 81st percentile of MLB pitchers in terms of opponents’ average exit velocity and the 96th percentile in terms of opponents’ barrel rate, per Statcast.
For his career, Cimber has been far more effective against righties than lefties, but he’s been an absolute nightmare for left-handed opponents so far in 2021. It’s a sample of just 55 plate appearances, so the small-sample caveat certainly applies, but left-handed opponents have posted just a .196/.327/.283 slash against him. Right-handers, meanwhile, are slashing .269/.329/.333 against him.
Dickerson is a free agent at season’s end, so he’s a pure rental for the Blue Jays. Cimber, on the other hand, is controllable via arbitration through the 2024 season. He’s playing the current year on a $925K salary after avoiding arbitration as a Super Two player over the winter and will have three more trips through the arb process before he qualifies as a free agent. His inclusion in the deal gives the Jays a reliever with a career 3.69 ERA and 4.01 SIERA both for the remainder of the 2021 season and perhaps for multiple years to come.
Looking at the Marlins’ end of the swap, Panik will give them an experienced bench option and help provide some cover for those injuries and any others that may arise. (Both Miguel Rojas and Jazz Chisholm have already spent time on the IL in 2021.) He could also see increased time at third base, freeing versatile Jon Berti up to bounce around the diamond as he has in seasons past.
Panik’s inclusion in the deal could also serve as a bit of a financial counterweight for Dickerson. His $1.85MM salary is quite a bit smaller than Dickerson’s $8.5MM sum, but Panik’s inclusion nevertheless balances the financial element of the trade a bit. Panik is still owed about $965K through season’s end, and Cimber has about $482K remaining on his deal. The total $1.44MM partially offsets the remaining $4.4MM on Dickerson’s salary, and the Marlins are seemingly covering the bulk of the remainder owing to the uncertainty surrounding Dickerson’s health.
More to come.