MIAMI — The Marlins acquired catcher Christian Bethancourt from the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, bringing in another player that new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix is familiar with from his days in Tampa Bay.
Bethancourt batted .225 with 16 doubles, 11 home runs, and 33 RBIs in 104 games with Tampa Bay during the 2023 season. He also threw out 13 of 57 baserunners. The Panamanian-born backstop has a career batting average of .231 with 113 RBIs and 31 home runs.
Cleveland claimed Bethancourt, 32, off waivers Nov. 6 and will receive cash considerations in the deal.
This is the second trade that Bendix, the former Rays general manager, has executed since his hiring on Nov. 6. He also completed a trade with his former team in late November, acquiring utilityman Vidal Bruján and right-hander Calvin Faucher from the Rays.