The team that Cristian Pache had his best moments as a Philadelphia Phillie against will now employ the sure-handed defensive outfielder.
After being designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 1, Pache was claimed by the Miami Marlins, according to MLB.com‘s Christina De Nicola.
During the course of this season, Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has completely gutted the team, trading Luis Arráez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Tanner Scott, Bryan Hoeing, Josh Bell, A.J. Puk, Bryan De La Cruz and J.T. Chargois. Skip Schumaker’s club needs players for the remainder of a lost season, and Pache will seemingly be a part of what figure to be an ugly final two months for the Fish, who are 40-69.
Ironically, Pache’s most successful moments at the plate with the Phillies — and in his young MLB career, for that matter — came against the Marlins. He hit the game-winning home run on July 7, 2023 off the aforementioned Puk in the ninth inning at loanDepot Park. Pache also went 1-for-2 with an RBI single as the starting left fielder against the Marlins in Game 1 of the NLWCS a season ago, helping the Phillies to a 4-1 victory.
The Phillies traded Pache along with Seranthony Domínguez to the Orioles on July 26, getting outfielder Austin Hays back in return. Pache ultimately appeared in three games for the O’s, recording one hit. But he got squeezed out when the Orioles both acquired veteran DH/outfielder Eloy Jiménez and recalled No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Holliday.
Still only 25, Pache has 12 defensive runs saved and 16 outs above average in his career, so he’s lived up to the billing defensively that made him a top prospect. However, Pache’s bat hasn’t consistently come around, as he’s a .181 hitter with a meager .518 OPS over 546 career plate appearances. That’s why the Marlins will now be his fifth team, joining the Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Phillies and Orioles.
