December 29, 2024 1:37 PM : The Marlins acquired Mervis from the Cubs on Sunday in exchange for utility man Vidal Brujan, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Following a breakout 2022 campaign in the minors, Mervis entered 2023 as one of the more highly regarded prospects in baseball thanks to his combination of power hitting and on-base skills, but the sheen has largely worn off over the past two seasons. Mervis struck out at a 31.5 percent clip and posted a meager .103 ISO over 127 plate appearances in the majors with the Cubs across the past pair of campaigns, and he didn't mash in the minors in 2024 like he had in the past either, slashing .235/.329/.434 in 81 games with Triple-A Iowa. Though he still had a minor-league option remaining, Mervis didn't seem to have much of a future in Chicago with Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki entrenched at first base and designated hitter, respectively, but he should have a clearer path to playing time in Miami. Jonah Bride currently sits atop the organizational depth chart at first base, but Mervis' superior pop likely makes him a higher-upside option.