MIAMI _ With less than 90 minutes left before the MLB trade deadline Wednesday, the Miami Marlins delivered a stunner, trading Zac Gallen to the Arizona Diamondbacks for highly touted shortstop prospect Jazz Chisolm.
One of Miami's talented young pitchers, Gallen has posted a 2.72 ERA in seven major league starts during his rookie season. The 23-year-old right-hander pitched Tuesday night against the Minnesota Twins, allowing two earned runs in seven innings, while notching eight strikeouts.
In acquiring Chisolm, Miami lands the 59th overall minor league prospect, per Baseball America. The 21-year-old shortstop has hit .204/.305/.427 (114 wRC+) with 18 home runs and five triples in 364 plate appearances for Double-A Jackson.
In 2018, Chisolm split the season between Low-A and High-A, compiling 25 home runs and 23 doubles between the two levels. In 160 plate appearances for High-A Visalia, Chisolm hit .329/.369/.597 (156 wRC+).
With Miami having thin shortstop depth at the upper levels of the minor leagues, Chisolm fills a major need for the team. In High-A, starting shortstop Jose Devers has missed the past two months with a forearm strain, adding to the Marlins depth issue.
A left-handed hitter, Chisolm was an international signee out of the Bahamas in 2015.
For Gallen, his time with the Marlins on the big league level was relatively brief. Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in the Marcell Ozuna trade, the right-hander spent the 2018 season with Triple-A New Orleans, posting a 3.65 ERA in 25 starts.
This season, Gallen took a major leap forward. Starting the season with New Orleans, he dominated the Pacific Coast League, recording a 1.77 ERA and a superb 6.22-1 strikeout to walk ratio. Gallen was then promoted to big leagues on June 20.
In his seven starts with Miami, he tallied a 28.5% strikeout rate and 1.18 WHIP. Gallen's best outing came two starts ago when he tossed seven shutout innings versus the Chicago White Sox, scattering just to hits, while striking out a career high nine batters.
