MIAMI -- The Marlins dealt outfielder Dane Myers to the Reds for outfield prospect Ethan O'Donnell on Saturday afternoon. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot, likely for the addition of reliever Pete Fairbanks.
Myers, whom the Marlins claimed off waivers from the Tigers in December 2022, began his professional career as a pitcher in 2019 before becoming a fulltime position player two years later.
In 172 games from 2023-25, Myers slashed .245/.299/.354 with 19 doubles, one triple, 10 homers, 59 RBIs and 23 steals. During his tenure, the 29-year-old missed time with injuries due to both his hustle play in the outfield as well as a self-inflicted left ankle fracture in 2024. He will not be arbitration-eligible until after the 2026 season.
With Myers’ departure, the only center-field options on the 40-man roster are Jakob Marsee, Victor Mesa Jr. (Marlins' No. 21 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) and Gold Glove-winning utility player Javier Sanoja. Miami’s lone right-handed bat in the outfield is Heriberto Hernández, followed by a group of players who can bounce back and forth between the infield and outfield: Sanoja, Eric Wagaman, Christopher Morel -- who the club signed to primarily play first base for the first time in his pro career -- and Connor Norby, who will try to win the third-base job.
O’Donnell, ranked as the Reds’ No. 18 prospect at the time of the trade, was a sixth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Virginia. The 23-year-old has not played above the Double-A level, where he slashed .236/.327/.325 with 13 doubles, two triples, seven homers, 56 RBIs and 20 steals in 2025. He recorded 129 strikeouts and 54 walks in 125 games.
According to MLB Pipeline’s report, the left-handed-hitting O’Donnell is “capable of making a ton of hard contact with an ability to drive the ball to all fields” in a more “gap-to-gap” profile. With a skill set that would allow him to play center field regularly, MLB Pipeline projects him to be a valuable fourth outfielder.
His tools rank accordingly on the 20-80 scouting scale: Hit (50); power (40); run (55); arm (50); field (55) and overall (45).
O’Donnell will join Mesa, Andrew Pintar and Matthew Etzel (Marlins' No. 29 prospect) as upper-level prospects in the system capable of playing center field.