Royals Acquire Jacob Berry

The Royals have acquired infielder/outfielder Jacob Berry from the Marlins, reports Isaac Azout of Fish on First. The Marlins get cash in return. Though the trade deadline has passed, trades are still allowed for players who haven’t been on a 40-man roster all season, as MLBTR explained earlier today.

Acquiring Berry would have been more exciting a few years ago. Miami took him in the first round of the 2022 draft, selecting him with the sixth overall pick and signing him to a $6MM bonus. A switch-hitting infielder, he had just slashed .370/.464/.630 for LSU before being selected. He wasn’t considered an especially strong defender but the Marlins were clearly hoping the bat would be special.

That has not proven to be the case in his professional career. He has made 1,933 plate appearances across multiple minor league levels with 35 home runs and a .245/.325/.377 line. That leads to a lackluster 98 wRC+. He was left exposed in the most recent Rule 5 draft and no one grabbed him.

The lack of power is notable but the approach at the plate looks good. This year, in 302 Triple-A plate appearances, he has a 15.2% walk rate and 14.2% strikeout rate. He only has four homers but those rate stats are both excellent figures. Thanks to those free passes, he has a .251/.372/.362 line and 103 wRC+ on the year. He can also contribute in other ways. He stole 27 bases last year and is up to 18 already this year. Defensively, he has spent time at every spot on the diamond outside of shortstop and the battery.

For the Marlins, it’s obviously disappointing for a sixth overall pick to wind up in this position. But for the Royals, perhaps they feel there’s a path for Berry to serve as a versatile bench/utility guy since he can bounce around the diamond, hit from both sides of the plate, take some walks and swipe some bags. Unless they plan to immediately add him to the 40-man, he’ll give them some Triple-A depth for now. He would be eligible for the Rule 5 draft again this offseason if he still doesn’t have a roster spot, and if the draft doesn’t get canceled like it did during the last lockout.