AP source: Marlins trade SS Miguel Rojas to Dodgers

(AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

By TIM REYNOLDS

MIAMI (AP) The Miami Marlins have traded shortstop Miguel Rojas back to his original team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Wednesday night.

The Marlins are getting infield prospect Jacob Amaya in the trade, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither team had announced the deal.

The Dodgers needed a shortstop after Trea Turner - their starter at that position for all but two games last season - left in free agency and signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with the NL champion Philadelphia Phillies.

And that hole, evidently, will be filled by Rojas. He has a $5 million salary in the final season of a $10 million, two-year contract, then can become a free agent.

Rojas was the longest-tenured member of the Marlins, having been with the club since 2015. He appeared in 870 games with Miami over the last eight seasons, 339 more than anyone else - Brian Anderson played in 531 for the Marlins over that span.

He was the leader in the clubhouse for almost his entire tenure in Miami. Don Mattingly, who managed the Marlins for the last seven years of Rojas' time in Miami, raved about what Rojas meant to the club and even let him manage in an honorary role for season finales in 2019 and 2021.

Rojas batted only .236 last year, his lowest since hitting .181 in 85 appearances with the Dodgers in 2014, but his glove was still superb. He made seven errors in 531 chances at shortstop last season and was an NL Gold Glove finalist - in a year where he was the second-oldest everyday shortstop in the majors behind Elvis Andrus, who split his time between Oakland and the Chicago White Sox.

Andrus turned 34 in August. Rojas turns 34 next month.

The trade happened hours after the Marlins introduced Jean Segura at their ballpark, with general manager Kim Ng saying the team expects Segura - who has been a middle infielder for almost the entirety of his 11-year career - to play third base. But with Rojas gone, it's possible Segura may see some time at shortstop for Miami.

Rojas has been to the playoffs twice. He got into one game with the Dodgers in their loss to St. Louis in the 2014 NL Division Series, then helped the Marlins beat the Chicago Cubs in the 2020 NL wild-card series before falling to Atlanta in the division series.

Amaya, 24, was an 11th-round pick by the Dodgers in 2017. He's spent the last five seasons in their minor league system, batting .256 in 463 games and getting to Triple-A for the first time last year.

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Updated January 11, 2023