A look at what Marlins received for Arraez. Analysis from team, evaluators on 4 players

What did the Marlins exactly get last weekend when they sent two-time defending batting champion Luis Arraez to the Padres and agreeing to pay $7.9 million of the $8.5 million he’s still owed this season?

Details on reaction on the four players sent to Miami:

CF DILLON HEAD

▪ The stats and the basics: He was a first-round pick in 2023, selected 25th overall out of an Illinois high school… He hit .294 (.413 on base) in 63 plate appearances in rookie league last year, then .241, .312 in 61 PAs in low level Class A Lake Elsinore in 2023…

He’s off to a slow start this season at Lake Elsinore (.237, 317, one homer, nine RBI, 3 for 7 in steals, with 25 strikeouts in 104 plate appearances)... MLB.com now lists him as the Marlins’ No. 5 prospect.

▪ Marlins president baseball operations Peter Bendix’s assessment: “He’s probably furthest away from the big leagues. He has relatively minimal professional experience. He was a first-round pick last year. He also probably has the highest upside of the group. The athleticism, the speed, the overall impact on both sides of the baseball is pretty exciting for us.”

▪ MLB Pipeline’s assessment: ”Head exhibited one of the most exciting combos of speed and pure hitting ability among 2023 prep bats in the Draft. Those wheels make him an impressive defender in center with gap-to-gap coverage, and he’s able to gather good momentum to generate above-average arm strength when he needs a cannon. Head should be a stolen base threat, too, and he can also turn infield grounders into base knocks with the way he fires out of the left-handed batter’s box.”

▪ Part of The Athletic baseball evaluator Keith Law’s assessment, as offered here: “Head is the jewel of the trade, a first-round pick last July who’s tooled out with 70 [on the 20-80 scouting scale] speed, possibly even 80, along with plus defense in center and very good bat speed. He showed strong contact quality in 2023 after he signed, but that hasn’t carried over into the first month of 2024, where he’s also shown some trouble with pitch recognition. He’s only 19, and won’t even turn 20 until October, so there is plenty of time for him to make these adjustments.”

▪ Baseball America projects that “he’s likely to be a contact-oriented offensive player without a ton of power.”

OF JAKOB MARSEE

▪ The stats and the basics: A sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan in 2022… He hit well in High A and Double A last year but is off to a poor start at Double A San Antonio this season: .177 (but a .336 on base), with two homers and five RBI and 12 steals in 13 attempts and 24 strikeouts in 109 plate appearances… He’s already the Marlins’ No. 4 prospect, per MLB.com.

▪ MLB Pipeline’s assessment: “Marsee’s hitting ability and plate discipline got him drafted in 2022’s sixth round out of Central Michigan. He led San Diego farmhands with 98 walks and a .413 on-base percentage while reaching Double-A in his first full pro season, before winning MVP honors in the Arizona Fall League. Marsee thrives on making opposing pitchers throw strikes. He doesn’t chase much at all, and when he does swing out of a coiled left-handed stance, it’s with intent to make contact.”

▪ The Athletic baseball evaluator Keith Law’s assessment: “Marsee should be a quality fourth outfielder within the next year, maybe by the end of 2024, even with a slow start in Double A this year. He’s an above-average defender in center who’s a very smart base-stealer and shows a strong approach at the plate… He doesn’t have great bat speed, so the contact quality isn’t there to make him a regular, and he may not hit lefties enough to get there regardless, but he should have positive major-league value for a long time as a part-timer.”

▪ MLBtraderumors.com’s assessment: “Marsee has an outside shot at getting to the big leagues in 2024. He dramatically improved his stock with a .274/.413/.428 showing between High A and Double A last season. Marsee followed up with a massive performance in the Arizona Fall League. There was even some speculation he could compete for the Opening Day center field spot, but it quickly became clear that Jackson Merrill was above him in that discussion.

“Marsee, 23, ranked between 10th and 12th on the respective organizational prospect lists at BA and The Athletic. He’s credited with advanced plate discipline and instincts but without a ton of power potential. Marsee has played almost exclusively center field in the minors and likely projects as a fourth outfielder.”

1B NATHAN MARTORELLA

▪ The stats and the basics: A fifth-round pick out of California in 2022… Is off to a very good start at Double A San Antonio: .292, .393, two homers, 14 RBI and six doubles in 107 plate appearances.

He’s already the Marlins’ No. 11 prospect, per MLB.com.. We will see if he surpasses Jacob Berry and Troy Johnston as the Marlins’ top first base prospect.

▪ Bendix’s assessment: “Martorella [is a] first baseman who can really hit. I don’t want to put any sort of timeline on it, but just given the fact [Marsee and Martorella are] already in Double A, those guys are further along in their career than Dillon Head.”

▪ MLB Pipeline’s assessment: “Martorella used a breakout final season at California, where he hit .333 with a career-best 11 homers, to be selected in the fifth round of the 2022 Draft. He slashed .255/.361/.437 with 19 homers and a 123 wRC+ over 135 games between High-A and Double-A in his first full pro season and ended the campaign with more experience in the AFL. His managers and coaches wanted him playing every day because of his inclination to work counts, success against pitchers from both sides and strength to shoot for at least average in-game power.”

▪ The Athletic baseball evaluator Keith Law’s assessment: “Martorella has the hit tool that Marsee lacks, but none of the other stuff, as he’s probably a first baseman in the end — or a DH — and doesn’t have the power yet to profile as a regular at either spot. He’s a dead fastball hitter who at least hits lefties as well as righties, so there’s some reason to hope he can find a path to become a soft regular… He’s more likely a… nice bench player/reserve who has pinch-hitting value and won’t kill you if he plays every day for a few weeks.”

▪ MLBtraderumors.com’s assessment: “Martorella is limited to first base or designated hitter, so he’ll need to hit a lot to be a regular, but he has shown a well-rounded offensive profile in pro ball…The left-handed hitter has a career .269/.373/.447 batting line in nearly 800 professional plate appearances.”

RELIEVER WOO-SUK GO

▪ The stats and the basics: San Diego signed Go to a two-year deal for $4.5 million after he pitched seven seasons — mostly as a closer - with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization. In Korea, he had a 3.18 ERA and 139 saves over parts of seven seasons with 401 strikeouts in 368 innings…

Go, 25, couldn’t win a job with the Padres in spring training (he had a 12.60 ERA this spring) and has a 4.38 ERA and one save so far in Double A San Antonio, with 18 baserunners allowed and 15 strikeouts in 12 ⅓ innings.

▪ Bendix’s assessment: “He had quite an illustrious career in Korea, and I think sometimes the transition from a Korean league or just any league that you’re unfamiliar with, coming into a new country where you don’t speak the language, that transition can be very difficult. We’re hopeful and optimistic that he’s shown the ability to make that transition. We like his stuff. We like his demeanor. We like things that he’s been able to do so far in his short professional career, and we’re optimistic that he could contribute to our Major League bullpen.”

▪ The Athletic baseball evaluator Keith Law’s assessment: “Hasn’t been very successful as a reliever so far in Double A, although his 92-94 mph fastball has missed some bats.

▪ MLBtraderumors.com’s assessment: “He’s playing this season on a $1.75MM salary. He’ll make $2.25MM next year and is guaranteed a $500K buyout on a $3MM mutual option for 2026. As is the case with most players signed out of a foreign professional league, his contract stipulates that he return to free agency at the end of the deal even though he’ll be well shy of six years of MLB service.

“Go missed plenty of bats in Korea but struggled to consistently throw strikes. Scouting reports before his signing generally suggested he projected as a middle reliever at the MLB level.”