Bryan De La Cruz

After being acquired from the Astros in July of 2021 in exchange for reliever Yimi Garcia, De La Cruz quickly became a prominent figure in the Marlins' offensive makeup. He debuted for Miami two days after that trade, made the Opening Day roster in 2022, and jumped into a full-on everyday role in 2023. The more at-bats he takes, though, the more it seems his trajectory might have already reached a plateau. De La Cruz possess decent raw power and can pounce on pitches in his wheelhouse, but he has proven to be a mess on anything thrown to the outer-third of the plate. He has a .301 OBP in his last 268 major-league games, and his outfield defense is already starting to look dreadful at age 27. While he should again play a lot in an improving lineup, which perhaps gives him a safe floor, there's no need to chase De La Cruz in the same wayward fashion he chases sliders.

De La Cruz was with the Marlins Opening Day and had a .581 OPS in 244 plate appearances before he was demoted in August. He rejoined the big club a month later and played well down the stretch with a .388/.419/.718 slash line, six home runs and 22 RBI in 25 games. In total he finished 2022 with a 104 wRC+, and the strong finish to the campaign could better his chances of earning a starting job during spring training. Avisail Garcia underperformed during his first year in Miami remains locked into right field due to his contract, but the starting spots in left and center remain wide open. Even if he's starting Opening Day, De La Cruz is a risky fantasy option at best.

Picked up from the Astros last July in a trade for Yimi Garcia, De La Cruz made his big-league debut with the Marlins and didn't look out of place, posting a solid slash line that was largely buoyed by a .380 BABIP. The 25-year-old doesn't have the power or speed to profile as much more than a fourth outfielder, and he fits better defensively in a corner, but Miami is hoping there's a little more development left in his bat. The club's offseason additions in the outfield cost De La Cruz a shot at a starting job this spring, but he'll begin 2022 on the bench in the majors.