Brujan slashed .222/.303/.319/.622 last season for the Marlins while wracking up two home runs, 16 RBI, 25 walks and 54 strikeouts in 278 plate appearances. The four-year utilityman played everyone in the field last season for the Marlins except pitcher and catcher, being hailed as one of the best defensive-minded players in the league.
Brujan even pitched a couple of times last season during blowouts, one in which he gave up a home run to Shohei Ohtani during the night when he created the 50/50 club.
On the other hand, Mervis provides an interesting story for the Marlins. Mervis was originally drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 39th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. But was signed to the Cubs in 2020 as an undrafted free agent after leaving Duke.
He began to make his way up the Cubs' system, starting in A-ball (2021) before taking a giant leap to AAA for four games before the end of the season. Then in 2022, Mervis played at all three levels (A+, AA, AAA), a time where he hit a total of 36 home runs and 119 RBI, before making his major league debut in 2023 after 100 games in AAA.
But after a rough going in the majors, Mervis played most of 2024 in AAA where he slashed .235/.329/.434/.762 in 350 plate appearances (80 games) while hitting 15 home runs and 43 RBI. He struck out 105 times and walked 37.
He hit .115 in just 28 plate appearances for the Cubs last season but was looking to be a possible everyday starter for them.
Now, he'll get much more playing time in Miami while Chicago continues to solidify their starting lineup after acquiring Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros earlier this season.