Blue Jays trade for Marlins pitcher who just made his MLB debut

With the MLB Trade Deadline a little over a month away, the Blue Jays have already made their first trade towards building up the team. Toronto has acquired Robinson Piña in exchange for minor league pitcher Colby Martin in a trade consummated on Tuesday night.

This trade comes at a surprise, but the Blue Jays must really see something in Piña to go after him. They would have had the chance to grab him early in the waiver wire, yet made a deal to make sure they got him.

Piña recently made his major league debut with Miami, throwing an inning in which he allowed a home run. Shortly thereafter, the Marlins designated him for assignment, which came at a surprise, as he was 26 years old and still had minor-league options to work with. The Blue Jays optioned him to Triple-A and he was added to the 40-man roster, as there was an open space.

This won't be the only move made by the Blue Jays today, either. Someone will have to be DFA'd to make room for Max Scherzer, as he is getting activated off the 60-day injured list today.

In Triple-A this season, Piña has posted a 3.47 ERA with a 3.73 FIP and a 8.53 K/9 across 57 innings. Used as a starter and reliever this season, Piña will likely become another starting pitching option to work with this season. The Bowden Francis injury made the organization feel like they needed another starting pitcher on the depth chart, so this could be a very valuable pick up if another injury occurs.

Blue Jays acquire Robinson Piña from the Marlins in exchange for Colby Martin.

The other end of this deal hurts a little bit, as Martin was a sneaky solid prospect in the organization. Recently promoted to Vancouver, Martin brings a fastball up to triple digits. He hasn't even thrown that many pitches in his professional or collegiate careers, yet his stuff is extremely valuable.

This season, Martin posted a 1.54 ERA with a 2.82 FIP and an 11.57 K/9 across 23.1 innings. He has shown a bit of control issues, but the 24-year-old flamethrower could have been a future ranked prospect with his upside.

Hopefully Piña can make a positive impact to the Blue Jays this season to make up for this loss. It was bold to trade away Martin for a minor-league arm that was just DFA'd, but there is still a chance that he can find a groove in Toronto.