Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Mets announced on Monday that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Jordan Yamamoto from the Miami Marlins in exchange for minor league infielder Federico Polanco.
In a corresponding move, the Mets designated infielder Robel Garcia for assignment.
Yamamoto, 24, came to Miami by way of the Milwaukee Brewers in the blockbuster Christian Yelich trade prior to the 2018 season.
The Hawaii native debuted the following year and appeared in 15 games for Miami, and pitched to a 4.46 ERA, 4.51 FIP and 4.89 xFIP. He was also worth 0.9 fWAR.
In the shortened 2020 season, Yamamoto toed the rubber in just four games and had a dismal 18.26 ERA, 11.93 FIP and 6.66 xFIP. He was designated for assignment by Miami last week.
While Yamamoto doesn’t possess high velo on his fastball, he makes up for it with decent spin, as he ranked in the 64th percentile by Statcast in 2019. His curveball spin is also solid, as it ranked in the 69th percentile that year.
Here’s a glimpse of what the right-hander brings to the table:
Going back to Miami is infield prospect Federico Polanco, who is the cousin of Mets top prospect Ronny Mauricio.
As Jacob Resnick adds on Twitter, Polanco, 19, signed with the Mets in 2017 and received a $325 thousand signing bonus. Polanco was not ranked by MLB Pipeline in their top 30 Mets prospects.
Garcia, 27, was claimed off waivers by the Mets in October prior to the finalization of the team’s sale to Steve Cohen.
The Dominican Republic native did not play in 2020 at the big league level, but had a cup of coffee with the Chicago Cubs in 2019.
Yamamoto is free agent eligible in 2027.
