Diamondbacks reportedly land reliever A.J. Puk in trade with Marlins

The Arizona Diamondbacks picked up a huge reliever on Thursday night.

The Diamondbacks struck a deal to land left-handed pitcher A.J. Puk in a trade with the Miami Marlins, according to multiple reports. In return, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Diamondbacks will send Miami minor leaguers Deyvisson De Los Santos and Andrew Pintar.

Puk, who got his start with the Oakland A’s in 2019, has been a very solid reliever this season in Miami. He holds a 4-8 record with a 4.30 ERA in 44 innings this season. The 29-year-old has allowed just 36 hits and 27 runs over that span, too, and has held hitters to a .159 average. He started the season in the Marlins’ starting rotation, though they moved him back to a relief role in May. Since that transition, he’s held a 2.08 ERA.

De Los Santos has spent time with both the Diamondbacks’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates this season, where he’s hit 28 home runs each while holding a .325 batting average in 372 plate appearances. The first and third baseman was Arizona’s 14th-ranked prospect, per MLB pipeline.

Pintar, an outfielder, is the team’s No. 30 prospect. The former BYU star held a .304 batting average with the Diamondbacks’ High-A team before he was recently promoted to their AA team.

The Diamondbacks currently hold a 53-50 record after winning back-to-back games against the Kansas City Royals this week. They’ll enter a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend in third in the NL West and just a single game out of the final wild card spot. The Diamondbacks’ bullpen has the lowest strikeout rate in the league with 7.39 per nine innings.

The MLB trade deadline is set for July 30 at 6 p.m. ET.