Blue Jays trade Colby Martin to Marlins for Robinson Pina

Pina, 26, was recently designated for assignment after giving up a solo home run in his inning of work on June 20. It was the right-handed pitcher’s only appearance in the big leagues so far, as he’s been a career minor leaguer up to this point.

With the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in 2025, Pina has a 3.47 ERA and a 3.73 FIP in 57 innings pitched, starting 11 of his 13 appearances. Moreover, he has a 22.2 K% and a 6.2 BB%.

Pina has a solid chase rate of 31.95%, which is in the 83rd percentile of all Triple-A pitches. He also has a 29.3 whiff rate and 13.61 swinging strike rate, so there is some potential there. Pina has a five-pitch mix, featuring a 93 mph four-seamer and sinker, a low-80s slider, which he uses 30.6% of the time, along with a splitter and cutter.

In 2024, Pina pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies organization, where he had a 4.18 ERA and 4.02 FIP in 129.1 innings pitched, starting all 25 games he appeared in. Before his tenure with the Phillies and Marlins, Pina pitched in the Los Angeles Angels system since his professional debut in 2017.

While he is an intriguing pitcher, trading Martin is a steep price given his potential. Martin is a 24-year-old who was drafted in the 2024 draft. With the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, Martin had a 1.61 ERA and 2.90 FIP in 22.1 innings pitched, with a 33.3 K% and 16.1 BB%. He was recently promoted to High-A Vancouver, where he made one appearance before the trade.

Martin’s high walk rate is notable, but he was an infielder for his Division III school until the 2024 season, when he focused solely on pitching after transferring to an NAIA school. The 2024 season was the first time in Martin’s career that he didn’t play in the infield.

There’s potential with Martin as well, as his four-seam fastball averages 97 mph this season, but has reached as high as 102 mph in the past. In Single-A, he had a 41 whiff%, which is in the 91st percentile for Single-A pitchers.

You have to imagine that the Jays like Pina’s potential, and he’ll be a depth starter, which they desperately need in Triple-A. Pina also has three option years, giving the Blue Jays roster flexibility.