Miami Marlins Baseball; Don’t Panik or Do

Miami Marlins Baseball; Don"t Panik or Do

The Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays take action and mark the first move ahead of the 2021 MLB trade deadline. According to Heyman, Toronto will be sending back Panik and, per The Athletic"s Kaitlyn McGrath, minor league arm Andrew McInvale. The deal has not been confirmed by either club at this time.

Corey Dickerson currently has an undisclosed foot injury and Marlins manager Don Mattingly recently said MRIs were “not very promising," but the Blue Jays will have to sign off on medical reports before the deal is processed.

The addition of Cimber will have an immediate impact on Toronto"s relief depth. He does not register many strikeouts with his mid-80s fastball, but Cimber is a fastball/slider veteran reliever who has over 170 innings of experience as a major league RP. With a 2.88 ERA and 3.32 FIP this season, Cimber has been one of Miami"s best bullpen arms. The former Cleveland reliever has yet to allow a home run this season and has pitched over one inning multiple times. Solid arm in any bullpen and the Blue Jays can control him via arbitration for a few years going forward if they’d like.

The 24-year-old McInvale has appeared for A+ Vancouver and AA New Hampshire as a reliever this season. Across both levels, the former 37th round pick has notched a 2.55 ERA and 12.4 K/9 in 24.2 IP.

Dickerson is an expiring free agent making $8.75 million this year and the Blue Jays will be paying the majority of his remaining salary, per Craig Mish. Cimber has two years of control after 2021 and a $925,000 salary this season. Panik was a free agent at the end of the season, making $1.85 million in 2021.

The Marlins have like Jesus Sanchez‘s production in his first 11 games since being called up from Triple-A Jacksonville. It is important to get an accurate gauge of the value he can provide the club long-term. Sanchez was called up after Dickerson went on the injured list with a left foot contusion. Dickerson, playing in his ninth MLB season and hitting .260 this season, is still in a walking boot.

Panik is a favorite of mine. He is from New York. This year he is hitting .246 with two home runs and 11 RBI this year, which gives the Marlins a veteran infielder to come off the bench. The 30-year-old left-handed-hitting Panik has played in 765 career games. He’s primarily a second baseman but offers infield flexibility.

The Marlins" third baseman Brian Anderson is on the 60-day injured list. Panik provides a safety net. Miami’s healthy non-first baseman infielders on the 40-man roster are Miguel Rojas, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jon Berti, Luis Marte, and Isan Diaz.

Cimber has been a reliable middle-inning reliever for the Marlins. The sidearm-throwing righty posted a 2.88 ERA over 34 1/3 innings this year in 33 relief appearances.

McInvale, the minor-league reliever Miami acquired in the trade, was a 37th-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Liberty. The 6-2, 195-pound righty has spent the bulk of his 2021 season with the Blue Jays’ Double-A affiliate, where he had a 2.18 ERA, 28 strikeouts against 13 walks, and a .164 batting average against over 20 2/3 innings spanning 13 relief appearances.

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Main image credit Embed from Getty Images