Marlins pick up $12.5M option on OF Starling Marte

Starling Marte is staying with the Miami Marlins after the team exercised its $12.5 million contract option for next year.

Miami decided to pick up Marte’s option rather than pay him a $1 million buyout. The move Tuesday prevents Marte from becoming a free agent this offseason.

The 32-year-old outfielder was acquired from Arizona for three players at the Aug. 31 trade deadline and helped the surprising Marlins reach the playoffs by finishing second in the NL East.

Miami swept two games from the NL Central champion Chicago Cubs before getting swept in three games by the NL East champion Atlanta Braves. Marte went 2 for 4 with a double in the first-round opener against the Cubs but was hit by a pitch late in the game and missed the rest of the expanded postseason with a broken left hand.

Marte batted .245 with four homers, 13 RBIs and a .701 OPS in 28 regular-season games for the Marlins, finishing the year at .281 with six homers and 27 RBIs overall. He had 10 stolen bases and a .770 OPS.

The trade from Arizona allowed Marte to play in a major league-high 61 games during a season shortened to 60 for each team because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Marte was a 2016 All-Star with Pittsburgh and won two Gold Gloves with the Pirates, who traded him to the Diamondbacks in January. He hit .311 with two homers, 14 RBIs and an .827 OPS for Arizona.

Marte is a .287 career hitter in nine big league seasons with 114 home runs, 447 RBIs and a .791 OPS. He also has 249 steals.

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