The Marlins pulled out the right hand Burch Smith, according to his trade tracker on MLB.com. That was the expected result after he was appointed to work last week. He is now a free agent and can sign with any club.
Smith, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Rays at the start of the season. He didn't crack that team's Opening Day roster but had an upward movement clause in his contract. Such a clause meant that the Rays would have to trade him to another team if anyone wanted to offer Smith a roster spot. The Marlins wanted him so the Rays traded him for cash.
The righty has made 25 appearances with the Fish with a 4.25 earned run average and a subpar strikeout rate of 17%. However, his 6.7% walk rate and 47% ground ball rate were both a few ticks better than average. A .376 batting average on balls in play likely pushed some extra runs to the plate, which is why his 3.04 FIP and 4.00 SIERA were both more impressive than his ERA. The Marlins are one of the more defensive clubs this year, with a -24 Outs Above Average dead last and -19 Defensive Runs Saved better than only three other clubs.
Perhaps Smith could have done better in different situations but was left out of the lineup, even if it didn't help that he allowed five earned runs in his last three games before being assigned last week.
Smith entered the season with his career total at four years and 92 days, putting him at 80 for the five-year mark. He hit that line on June 15, a day after he was designated for assignment, as players still accumulate playing time while in DFA limbo. By passing that mark, he earned the right to decline a direct assignment while keeping his entire $1MM salary. Despite the fact that some club wanted to block him, he was headed for the open market, which made the Marlins let him go.
Now that he is available for free, he may attract clubs looking to buy at a lower price. The Marlins remain tight-lipped about what's left of that salary, and another club can sign him and only have to pay him the league minimum amount for any time he spends on the roster. That amount will be deducted from what the Fish pays.
Perhaps one of the other teams will feel that Smith can find more success with better batted luck or better pitching in front of a better defense. If so, they may be caught at low cost and with no real commitment.
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