The Miami Marlins today acquired outfielder Magneuris Sierra, right-handed pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen, and left-handed pitcher Daniel Castano from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for outfielder Marcell Ozuna. The announcement was made by President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill.
Sierra, 21, was the No. 6 prospect in the Cardinals' system, according to MiLB.com. He made his Major League debut in 2017, batting .317 (19x60) in 22 games, with hits in each of his first nine games and appearing at all three outfield positions. A native of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, Sierra split the rest of the season with Single-A Palm Beach (20 games) and Double-A Springfield (81), combining to hit .270 (110x408) with 21 doubles, seven triples, a home run, 44 RBI, and 20 steals. He has a .292 career average in 442 Minor League games since making his professional debut with the Dominican Summer League Cardinals in 2013. He has earned four minor-league All-Star nods and was the team MVP for the 2014 Gulf Coast League Cardinals.
Alcantara, 22, was the No. 9 prospect in the Cardinals' system, according to MiLB.com. The Azua, Dominican Republic native also made his Major League debut last season, a relief appearance on September 3 at San Francisco. He posted a 4.32 ERA (8.1 ip/4 er) in eight relief appearances for St. Louis. He spent the majority of his season with Springfield, making 25 appearances (22 starts) and going 7-5 with a 4.31 ERA (125.1/60) and 106 strikeouts. He has a 17-29 record and 3.95 ERA in 72 career Minor League appearances (68 starts) since making his professional debut with DSL Cardinals in 2014.
Gallen, 22, pitched at three levels in 2017, reaching Triple-A in just his second professional season. A native of Gibbsboro, New Jersey, he combined to go 10-8 with a 2.93 ERA (147.2/48) in 26 starts between Palm Beach (nine), Springfield (13), and Triple-A Memphis (four). He was a Florida State League All-Star after opening his campaign with a 5-2 record and 1.62 ERA at Palm Beach, and picked up a Texas League Pitcher of the Week award after his promotion to Springfield, where he was 4-5 with a 3.79 ERA. Gallen, who was the No. 13 prospect in the Cardinals' system, was drafted by St. Louis out of the University of North Carolina in the third round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft.
Castano, 23, is a native of Orlando, Florida. He was a New York-Penn League All-Star in 2017, going 9-3 with a 2.57 ERA (91.0/26) in 14 starts for State College, with 81 strikeouts and just 13 walks. He was drafted by St. Louis in the 19th round of the 2016 Draft out of Baylor University, and is 11-8 with a 3.82 ERA in 26 career appearances (25 starts).
Miami designated left-handed pitcher Hunter Cervenka for assignment and added Sierra and Alcantara to the 40-man roster, which is now full.
Additional information is available at www.marlins.com.