Marlins trade Dane Myers to Reds for prospect Ethan O'Donnell

[Ely Sussman]

The Miami Marlins traded Dane Myers to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday afternoon. In exchange, they picked up outfielder Ethan O'Donnell.

Myers landed in Miami three years ago as a minor league Rule 5 draft pick and immediately surpassed expectations. The converted pitcher raked in the upper minors and made his MLB debut on July 4, 2023. Playing the game with an extremely high motor, he quickly became a fan favorite.

The 2025 season was a rollercoaster for Myers. At age 29, he looked to be emerging as the Marlins' everyday center fielder, slashing .333/.377/.481 in 44 games played through June 15. Coincidence or not, he was hit by a pitch on June 16, and from that point forward, Myers became a liability at the plate. His campaign ended prematurely after colliding with the outfield wall at Citizens Bank Park on September 23.

Overall across parts of three MLB seasons, Myers is merely a .245/.299/.354 hitter (81 wRC+). However, he's a weapon versus left-handed pitching (.297/.360/.456 and 126 wRC+).

O'Donnell was drafted by the Reds out of the University of Virginia in 2023. He spent this past season with Double-A Chattanooga, where he slashed .236/.327/.325 with seven home runs, 20 stolen bases and a 90 wRC+ in 125 games. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs cautions that there is "a huge hole in his swing against fastballs up and away from him." MLB Pipeline had O'Donnell ranked 18th on their Reds top prospects list, while Longenhagen didn't rank him at all among the organization's top 39 prospects.

The left-handed hitter has gotten professional reps at all three outfield positions. He turns 24 years old in March and will be Rule 5-eligible after the 2026 season.

Fish On First's own Isaac Azout reported that the Reds also attempted to acquire Myers prior to the July 31 trade deadline. It's unclear if he had other suitors back then or during this offseason.

Myers' departure fully clears the runway for Heriberto Hernández to make his first career Opening Day roster coming off a productive rookie season. It seems as though the ultra-versatile Javier Sanoja will be utilized as Jakob Marsee's backup in center field. Christopher Morel and Connor Norby could contend for whatever right-handed corner outfield reps are left over. This also creates a temporary opening on the Marlins 40-man roster.

That opening should be filled in the coming days when the club's one-year, $13 million deal with reliever Pete Fairbanks is officially announced.

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[MarlinzDude86]

As good as his defense was, this is a good move.

[UKPhil]

Sad to see Dane go, but this is the way Bendix worked in Tampa. The hole in his swing sounds a bit like Stowers from last year. Something to work on

[JustMarlins]

Wishing Dane the best. Great clubhouse guy. 
 

Now does Morel replace him in the OF? If so, can we see a 1Bman signed as a result? 
 

I could see Bendix signing Lowe on a 1 year deal. He likes his former Tampa players. 

[BMK3]

Like the deal although I feel Dane definitely had pluses as a fourth outfielder.  Bendix is a bat-to-ball contact guy, not a fat ass power guy.  I like it.

[Hippyboi]

looks like we got nothing in return. We could have seen if the wrist injury was the reason for his drop in spring training, so he could have been a platoon 4/5th out fielder.

Our biggest off season trade? haha - Trade Bendix