Marlins acquire Wendle from Rays, DFA Brinson

The Miami Marlins acquired All-Star infielder Joey Wendle from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfield prospect Kameron Misner, the team announced Tuesday.

Wendle has been an important piece for the Rays over the last four seasons. This past summer, he earned his first All-Star berth by hitting .265/.319/.422 with 11 homers, 54 RBIs, and eight stolen bases across 136 games for the AL East champions. Although he primarily played at third base in 2021, the versatile Wendle provides plus defense at three infield positions and has a bit of experience in left field.

The 31-year-old adds another left-handed bat to a Marlins infield corps that already includes Jazz Chisholm Jr., Brian Anderson, and Isan Diaz, among others.

Wendle is entering his second year of arbitration and isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2023 campaign. He's projected to earn $4 million next year, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

To make room for Wendle on their 40-man roster, the Marlins designated outfielder Lewis Brinson for assignment.

Brinson, 27, was a one-time top prospect and the key piece Miami received from the Milwaukee Brewers for Christian Yelich in 2018. But Brinson failed to live up to those lofty expectations, hitting just .203/.248/.325 with 23 homers in parts of four seasons with the Marlins.

Misner, the prospect headed to Tampa Bay, was Miami's first-round pick (35th overall) in 2019. The 23-year-old hit .253/.355/.433 with 12 homers, 59 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases over 102 games split across two levels this season, and he was promoted to Double-A late in the year. He posted a .885 OPS with seven homers in the Arizona Fall League last month.