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2025 Transactions: Marlins Pick Up Nastrini, Braves Get Stratton

Originally posted on New Baseball Media
By Chris Studley | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 10:04 AM ET

It’s officially trade deadline month across Major League Baseball. On July 1, several small transactions took place. The Braves acquired Pirates reliever Hunter Stratton for a Minor League outfielder, while the Marlins are taking a shot at former high-end prospect Nick Nastrini.

Marlins add Nastini

Miami will take a shot on pitching prospect Nick Nastrini, claimed off waivers by the Marlins from the White Sox on July 1. Nastrini was reassigned to Triple-A after the move.

From a stuff standpoint, Nastrini is a very interesting prospect. The 25-year-old, a fourth-round pick by the Dodgers in 2021, showcased a good fastball from a metrics standpoint last season at the MLB level. His 18.7” mean IVB fastball ranked well above the league average in terms of movement.

Additionally, he got swing-and-miss action with both his slider and curveball.

Command, however, has been an incredible challenge for the 6’3” right-hander.

This has largely been a theme for Nastrini throughout his professional career, noted in our primer on him last year. But, it truly became a problem against Triple-A and MLB hitting. His 20.7% BB% and 12.6% Barrel% last season as a White Sox were indicative of that.

This season with Charlotte (AAA), Nastrini walked 39 over 44.1 IP with the Knights, working as a reliever. As far as other notes, his fastball played up significantly in relief, touching 99 MPH (the IVB (17.0” mean) went down). It also showed more cut than what was seen in 2024.

Nick Nastrini 2025 AAA Pitch Movement Via New Baseball Media

Braves trade for Stratton

Atlanta acquired Hunter Stratton on July 1 in exchange for Minor League outfielder Titus Dumitru.

Stratton went up and down this season between Triple-A and the Majors. He struck out 24 over 24.2 IP with Indianapolis (AAA) but gave up seven runs over 2.2 innings of work with the Pirates this season.

The new acquisition, however, found some success as a reliever last season. Stratton induced a high chase rate of 32.4% with the Pirates last season. Not to mention, he possesses a pitch mix (four-seamer, cutter, slider) that works well against both lefties and righties.

In exchange, the Pirates received Titus Dumitru, a 16th-round pick out of New Mexico State last year.

Dumitru hit .337/.435/.624 with 29 extra-base hits last year with New Mexico State. However, that power hasn’t translated to pro ball yet, with a career ISO of .097 between 2024 and 2025. He does, however, have 13 stolen bases in the South Atlantic League this season.

As noted earlier, the Braves placed Chris Sale on the 60-day IL, which cleared a roster spot for Stratton.

This article first appeared on New Baseball Media and was syndicated with permission.

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