Pirates trade Gold Glove catcher Jacob Stallings to Marlins for 3 players, including 2 prospects

The Pittsburgh Pirates continued tearing down a team that has finished last in the NL Central three consecutive seasons by trading Gold Glove catcher Jacob Stallings to the Miami Marlins for three players.

The trade, which was completed Monday evening, returned three players for Stallings: 6-foot-7 right-handed pitcher Zach Thompson and two of the Marlins’ top-25 prospects, right-hander Kyle Nicolas and center fielder Connor Scott.

The trade leaves the Pirates without a catcher on their 40-man roster, as Michael Perez was designated for assignment earlier this month and then optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Stallings, who will be 32 on Dec. 22, was the Pirates’ longest-tenured player and one of their most respected leaders. He had three years of club control remaining but was expected to double his $1.3 million salary in his first year of arbitration. A two-time Gold Glove finalist, Stallings earned a reputation for his game-calling and pitch blocking and framing to win his first Gold Glove after leading all catchers with 20 defensive runs saved in 2021.

Thompson, 28, was 3-7 with a 3.24 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 66 strikeouts and 28 walks in 75 innings over 26 games for the Marlins, including 14 starts. The Pirates drafted Thompson in the 48th round out of Grace Prep Academy in Arlington, Texas, in 2011 but he opted to play at the University of Texas-Arlington.

Nicolas, 22, the 60th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft in the Competitive Balance B round out of Ball State, was ranked the Marlins’ No. 16 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He led all Marlins minor leaguers in strikeouts (136) last season, starting 20 games over two levels. Nicolas was 3-2 with a 5.28 ERA in 59 2/3 innings at High-A Beloit and 3-2 with a 2.52 ERA in eight starts at Double-A Pensacola. Nicolas, a native of Massillon, Ohio, is the nephew of Todd Blackledge, who quarterbacked Penn State to the 1982 national championship.

Scott, also 22, was the Marlins’ first-round pick (13th overall) in 2018 and is ranked their No. 23 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He batted .276/.333/.446 with 25 doubles, six triples, 10 home runs and 46 RBIs last season for High-A Beloit.