Written by R.J. Anderson at CBS Sports.com
There have been two near-constants during Derek Jeter’s brief time a owner of the Miami Marlins: 1. Giancarlo Stanton trade rumors; and 2. Miami adding former New York Yankees. The second point there has usually meant on the front office side of things. That changed on Monday, as the Marlins and Yankees agreed to a trade.
The Marlins added first baseman Garrett Cooper and left-handed pitcher Caleb Smith in exchange for right-handed pitcher Michael King and international signing bonus pool money, the teams announced:
The @Yankees have acquired minor league RHP Michael King and 2017-18 international signing bonus pool money from Miami in exchange for INF Garrett Cooper and LHP Caleb Smith.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) November 21, 2017
Cooper, who made his big-league debut in 2017, had only joined the Yankees back in July — when he was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers for Tyler Webb. He hit .326/.333/.488 in 13 games, and had a 1.057 OPS in the minors. But there’s a reason Cooper has been dealt twice in half a year, and it has to do with scouts’ dim view of his upside. Expect him to see some action in the majors in 2018 — likely in a platoon role with incumbent first baseman Justin Bour.
Smith also debuted in 2017, posting a 7.71 ERA over 18 2/3 innings. His fastball averages 94 mph and he throws a pair of secondary offerings. He could serve either in the bullpen or as rotation depth in the minors, depending on what the Marlins deem necessary at the end of the winter.
