Marlins' Agustin Ramirez: Chance to claim starting job
Rotowire
Ramirez is expected to begin the season with Triple-A Jacksonville, but a strong performance in spring training could force the Marlins' hands, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
The headliner in the Jazz Chisholm deal with the Yankees last year, Ramirez slashed .250/.351/.419 in 68 games between Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Jacksonville at the Triple-A level with nine homers and nine steals, but he performed much better in the Marlins' system after the trade, posting an .829 OPS in 163 plate appearances for Jacksonville compared to a .692 mark for Scranton. Miami will be in no rush to start his service clock, but the team also has very little standing in his way at catcher, with Nick Fortes having failed to reach a .600 OPS in either of the last two seasons. If Ramirez stands out in camp, the Marlins could consider accelerating the timeline for the 23-year-old.
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Marlins' Agustin Ramirez: Dealt to Miami
Rotowire
The Yankees acquired Ramirez and infielders Jared Serna and Abrahan Ramirez from the Marlins on Saturday in exchange for Jazz Chisholm, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Ramirez is viewed as the headliner of the Marlins' three-player return package. The 22-year-old catcher slashed .224/.328/.364 with four home runs and five stolen bases in 125 plate appearances with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since getting promoted from Double-A Somerset in June. With Austin Wells, Jose Trevino and Carlos Narvaez ahead of him on the organizational catching depth chart in New York, Ramirez wasn't on track to make his MLB debut in the near future, but the move to Miami could expedite his arrival to the big leagues. Nick Fortes and Ali Sanchez have been sharing catching duties for the Marlins, but both have OPSes under .500 for the season.
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Yankees' Agustin Ramirez: Joins 40-man
Rotowire
The Yankees selected Ramirez to their 40-man roster Tuesday.
After starting the season in Single-A, Ramirez hit his way up to Double-A Somerset, where his bat cooled down significantly to end the year. The 22-year-old Ramirez is now the sixth catcher on the Yankees' 40-man roster.