The Los Angeles Dodgers traded Esteury Ruiz to the Miami Marlins in exchange for pitching prospect Adriano Marrero. The deal was made official on Monday evening.
Ruiz joins Justin Dean in outfielders who played in games for the Dodgers this year but no longer are with the organization. L.A. acquired Ruiz in April by trading pitching prospect Carlos Duran to the Athletics. That came shortly after Ruiz had been designated for assignment by the A’s.
“I know he’s a plus-runner, really, astute baserunner, an outfielder,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Ruiz at the time the trade was completed. “Mark Kotsay, the manager, really liked him, going back and forth by way of text with Kots, but that’s about it.
“And I just think that there’s some things that our hitting guys felt there’s some upside potential there.”
Ruiz only appeared in 19 games for the Dodgers this past season, batting .190/.261/.333 with one home run, two RBI, two runs scored, four stolen bases and a 67 wRC+ across 23 plate appearances.
Once a former top prospect, Ruiz has appeared in 197 games over parts of four seasons. He’s spent time with the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers in addition to the Athletics and Dodgers.
During that span from 2022-2025, Ruiz has hit .241/.296/.343 with eight home runs, 62 runs, 59 RBI, 77 stolen bases and an 81 wRC+ over 621 plate appearances. He led the American League with 67 stolen bases in 2023, which was Ruiz’s only full season at the MLB level.
Why did Dodgers trade Esteury Ruiz for Adriano Marrero?
Ruiz didn’t figure to factor heavily into the Dodgers’ plans for 2026, and with the trade the team has opened one spot on their 40-man roster that now has 39 players.
The Dodgers are said to be in search of an outfielder and figure to re-sign Kiké Hernández at some point.
With Marrero, an 18-year-old from Cuba, the Dodgers add a right-hander who could develop down the line. The right-hander made 10 starts for the Marlins Dominican Summer League team this year, posting a 3.82 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 12 walks over 33 innings.
Scouting reports indicate Marrero has a fastball that has reached 94 mph and is accompanied by a sweeper and changeup. good movement on all of his pitches (sweeper, changeup).
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