PITTSBURGH — Gold Glove catcher Jacob Stallings is heading to the Miami Marlins.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded Stallings to the Marlins in exchange for pitcher Zach Thompson and prospects Kyle Nicolas and Connor Scott.
Stallings, 31, is coming off the best season of his career. He earned his first Gold Glove for his handling of an inexperienced pitching staff that ranked among the worst in the major leagues while hitting .246 with career highs in home runs (8) and RBIs (53) in 112 games.
Stallings joins a team that is trying to elbow its way into contention in the NL East. Miami signed outfielder Avisail Garcia to a five-year deal worth $56 million and agreed to terms with pitcher Sandy Alcantara.
Pittsburgh is in the middle of a franchise-wide reboot focused on hoarding as many prospects as possible. Nicolas and Scott, both 22, fit that mold.
Nicolas, a right-handed pitcher, made 21 appearances between Class A and Double-A in 2021 and struck out 136 batters, the most among pitchers in Miami’s minor league system.
Scott, an outfielder, hit .276 with 25 doubles and 10 home runs in 2021 while playing for Class A Beloit.
Thompson, originally drafted by the Pirates in the 48th round of the 2011 draft, went 3-7 with a 3.24 ERA in 75 innings for Miami in 2021. He began the season as a starter before shifting to the bullpen in September.
The Pirates on Monday also signed veteran pitcher Jose Quintana to a one-year contract and avoided arbitration with outfielder Ben Gamel by agreeing to terms on a one-year deal.
The 32-year-old Quintana gives a needed veteran presence to a starting pitching staff that was among the worst in the majors in 2021. Quintana is 83-80 with a 3.84 ERA in 10 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco.
Quintana split time between the Dodgers and Giants in 2021, going 0-3 with a 6.43 ERA in 29 combined appearances, including 10 starts.
The well-traveled Gamel played well at times for the Pirates in 2021 after Pittsburgh claimed him off waivers from Cleveland in May.
The team’s deal with Gamel is worth $1.8 million, the Associated Press reported, with an additional $100,000 in performance incentives available for making 450 plate appearances and another $100,000 for 550.
Gamel hit .247 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs in 111 games for the Pirates, primarily playing left field. He is the second position player re-signed by Pittsburgh over the past week.
The Pirates agreed to terms with first baseman/outfielder Yoshi Tsutsugo on a one-year, $4 million deal last Wednesday.
To make room for Quintana on the 40-man roster, Pittsburgh designated left-hander Steven Brault for assignment.
Brault went 12-18 with a 4.77 ERA while filling a variety of roles for the Pirates. He struggled to stay healthy in 2021 and went winless in seven appearances (three starts) with a 5.86 ERA.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.