The Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins agreed to a trade on Monday. Miami acquired outfielder Esteury Ruiz for right-handed pitcher Adriano Marrero. Miami designated infielder Eric Wagaman for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster, while LA cleared a spot on its 40-man roster as a result of the trade.
The deal won't necessarily be a top news story, but the Marlins may have quietly just received a steal with the deal, as Ruiz could make a significant impact.
What Esteury Ruiz brings to Marlins
Ruiz, 26, made his MLB debut in 2022 with the San Diego Padres before later getting traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in the same season. He was moved to Milwaukee as part of the Josh Hader trade.
However, Ruiz ended up in Oakland with the Athletics in 2023 as part of another trade. He received his first real opportunity for a full season with the A's, and Ruiz displayed signs of potential.
He swiped a plethora of bases, ultimately leading the league with 67 steals. Ruiz hit .254 and recorded 24 doubles as well.
Ruiz's base-stealing ability made him an especially intriguing player. The only question was whether or not he'd hit enough at the plate to truly make an impact. An injury limited him to only 29 games played in 2024, however. In the early portion of the '25 campaign, Ruiz was acquired by the Dodgers.
He spent most of his season in the minor leagues, but Ruiz did receive 19 games of MLB action with LA.
If the Marlins give him the opportunity to play a full season, Ruiz could end up stealing no shortage of bases again. If he can take a step forward at the plate while contributing at a respectable level on defense, the trade with the Dodgers could prove to be a steal for a Miami team that already signed reliever Pete Fairbanks in free agency as well.
