A.J. Puk Traded To D-Backs For Deyvison De Los Santos, Andrew Pintar

The Diamondbacks and Marlins swung a deal Thursday night that sent lefthanded reliever A.J. Puk to Arizona in exchange for a pair of prospects, including one of the foremost mashers in the minor leagues. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

D-BACKS RECEIVE

A.J. Puk, LHP
Age: 29

In 2016, the A’s chose Puk with the sixth overall pick in that year’s draft. In November of 2023, they dealt him to the Marlins in exchange for outfielder JJ Bleday, the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft. This year, Puk has been one of the league’s most effective neutralizers of lefties, who are hitting .200/.254/.309 against him thus far. He’s done a great job overall of avoiding barrels and has allowed just three home runs in 44 innings this year. Puk was used as a starter early in the season and did not fare well. He’s been excellent since moving out of the rotation and has struck out 33 in 30.1 innings as a reliever.

MARLINS RECEIVE

Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B
Age: 21

De los Santos has had a whirlwind of a year. The righty masher began the year with Cleveland, who selected him in the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. He was returned to Arizona on March 22, and since then has been one of the biggest boppers in the minors. At the time of the trade, he’d hit 28 home runs, the most in the minor leagues. He is also leading the minors in RBIs (84), slugging percentage (.635) and total bases (217). De Los Santos does not come by his power cheaply. His 90th percentile exit velocity is roughly 109 mph, and he’s produced a max EV of 116 mph this year. That said, there are going to be questions about how much his power will play in the big leagues. His miss rates both inside and outside the zone are concerning, and he chases pitches at a rate of about 42%. He’s largely played first base this season, so he will need to continue mashing in order to get the most out of his big league value.

Andrew Pintar, OF
Age: 23

Pintar was Arizona’s fifth-round selection in 2022 out of BYU. After bouncing around between center field, left field and second base in previous years, Pintar has thrived played center exclusively in 2024. The righthanded batter’s power has spiked this season, but evaluators are skeptical that it will carry to the big leagues given the plane of his swing and his middling exit velocity numbers. He has a chance to be playable in center field thanks to above-average speed and athleticism, but his below-average arm strength—the result of a surgically-repaired shoulder—would make left field a logical spot if he had to move over.