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The Miami Marlins prevented third baseman Martin Prado from hitting free agency at season’s end by signing him to a contract extension Tuesday. 

According to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, the Marlins inked the 32-year-old veteran to a three-year deal that will pay him a total of $40 million through 2019. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro confirmed the move.

Prado is in the midst of a strong campaign, hitting .305 with seven home runs, 73 RBI and 68 runs scored.

Miami acquired the 11th-year veteran in a trade with the New York Yankees prior to the start of the 2015 season.

Prado spent the first seven years of his career with the Atlanta Braves before stints with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Yanks and Marlins. He was named to his first and only All-Star team in 2010.

While Prado has exclusively manned third base in 2016, he has played all over the diamond during his career, spending extensive time at second base and the corner outfield spots.

Prado has been a fixture in the No. 2 spot of the Marlins lineup this season behind speedster Dee Gordon and in front of power hitters such as Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna.

He has excelled at getting on base for Miami’s top hitters, and he is a big reason why the Marlins have surprised many with a 78-78 record so far this season.

Prado is an unheralded player who doesn’t receive much league-wide recognition, but his contributions are undeniable, and the fact that the Marlins managed to keep him means they have a great chance to be competitive in the National League playoff race once again next season.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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The Miami Marlins‘ offseason overhaul continued on Friday, as the team reportedly struck a deal with the New York Yankees for super-utility man Martin Prado and right-handed pitcher David Phelps. 

The Marlins officially announced the move on Twitter:

Marc Carig of Newsday had the particulars of the deal, which includes five players and three going to New York in exchange for Prado and Phelps:

In addition, Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel reported the Yankees were kicking in some of the money owed to Prado:

Marlins President of baseball operations Michael Hill discussed the deal for Prado, according to the team’s official Twitter feed: 

The Marlins, surprisingly, have been one of the most active teams in baseball this offseason. Prado and Phelps are the latest acquisitions, joining Mat Latos after he was traded from Cincinnati at the winter meetings. 

The biggest move of all was re-signing Giancarlo Stanton to a record-setting $325 million contract, though there are skeptics about how legitimate the deal is on Miami’s part due to it being heavily backloaded. 

Regardless of what happens down the road, it’s clear the Marlins view 2015 as an opportunity to compete for a playoff spot. As Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs.com jokingly tweeted, Miami’s payroll is suddenly spiking:

Prado isn’t a star-caliber player but did fare well in 37 games with the Yankees after being traded from Arizona. He hit .316/.336/.541 in 133 at-bats and has a career slash line of .291/.340/.429 in nine years, though some of that was likely helped by playing in offensive parks like Yankee Stadium and Chase Field. 

Phelps is best served as a reliever, though he did start 17 games for the Yankees last season. He can open the year in Miami’s rotation if the team wants to move slowly with Jose Fernandez’s recovery from Tommy John surgery. 

All of these moves give the Marlins versatility and at least make them more competitive than they have been in the last two years. Atlanta has taken steps back this offseason, while New York isn’t quite ready to compete offensively, so a playoff spot could be open in the National League for Miami to grab. 

If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter. 

Follow @adamwells1985

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New York Yankees star Martin Prado is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after an emergency appendectomy.

Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network passed along the news:

The Yankees later confirmed the news of Prado appendectomy (via Danny Knobler):

New York also moved Prado to the 60-day disabled list (via Brendan Kuty of NJ.com):

Prado turned into a terrific midseason acquisition for the Yankees. He filled numerous roles in the field while hitting .316 with seven home runs in 37 games after coming over from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ichiro Suzuki and Stephen Drew will likely see more consistent time with him out of the lineup.

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The oddly-scheduled opening day for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers is just a couple of days away.

Spring training will halt for the two teams while they play two regular-season games in Australia. Some Diamondbacks have been locked in over the first half of March, while others have not. Luckily, those who haven’t played well will get four more exhibition games after their two-game stint down under.

For those who haven’t been following spring training, here is an update on who has been playing well and who has been struggling.

Who’s Hot

Martin Prado has been scalding throughout March. He is hitting .475 in 40 at-bats, which leads the team and is one of the best in the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues. Of his 19 hits, he has slugged one home run and six doubles.

A.J. Pollock is next on the list with a .425 batting average in 40 at-bats. He has a homer, four doubles and three triples and has scored eight times.

Gerardo Parra is another player who came ready to play this spring. In 38 at-bats, Parra is hitting .342 with three doubles and seven RBI. He is also second on the team with five walks, trailing Paul Goldschmidt’s total of six.

On the pitching side, Wade Miley has probably had the best spring in terms of starters. In three starts, he has pitched 14 innings and has a 1.29 ERA and a WHIP of 1.07. He has compiled 11 strikeouts while walking three and giving up just two earned runs.

Josh Collmenter also makes the list. He has appeared in seven games and has yet to give up a run in 9.1 innings. Opponents have hit just .129 against him, and he has posted a 0.54 WHIP.

Who’s Not

For those who are struggling, we will start with the pitchers.

Trevor Cahill has had the worst spring of any Arizona pitcher. In 16 innings, Cahill has surrendered 14 earned runs and 26 hits, four of which were homers. His ERA is 7.88, and opponents are hitting .382 against him.

Brad Ziegler is another hurler who has struggled this spring. In his six appearances, he has given up nine hits and eight earned runs in 5.1 innings on the mound. He has also walked four batters and struck out only one.

Randall Delgado has started three games and thrown 11.1 innings. He has given up three home runs in his time on the mound, compiling a 5.56 ERA. He is one of five pitchers to give up more than one long ball this spring.

Getting back to the batter’s box, newly acquired Matt Tuiasosopo hasn’t hit well this spring. In 34 at-bats, he has posted a dreadful .118 batting average and has struck out 14 times. His four hits are the second lowest total of any Diamondback with at least 30 ABs.

Didi Gregorius is also struggling at the plate. He has a .205 batting average in 39 at-bats and has scored just one run. Gregorius has also been successful stealing a base once in three tries.

Tony Campana is the only Diamondback with at least six hits to not have an extra base hit. His batting average is only .216, and he has struck out nine times in 37 at-bats. The only bright spot for Campana is the five stolen bases he has compiled.

All stats courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

You can follow Trey on Twitter @treydwarren

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After a few years of being mentioned in trade rumors, it looks like current Atlanta Braves‘ left fielder (and heir apparent to Chipper Jones) Martin Prado will be staying with the club…at least if the Braves get their way.

And the move couldn’t come at a better time for the Braves.

According to a tweet by ESPN’s Buster Olney:

The Braves are going to try to sign Martin Prado to a multi-year deal, given his current standing as heir to Chipper Jones’s spot at third.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 17, 2012

All I have to say is, it’s about time.

Prado has been one of the more consistent players on the Braves’ roster and no doubt deserves a multi-year extension from them. I’m sure other teams would have no problem giving him one.

Rumored to be on the block during the offseason, it seemed like the Braves were close to pulling off a trade with the Colorado Rockies for outfielder Seth Smith. But for some reason, terms of a deal could never be fully worked out, and the trade fell dead.

Now, that move seems to be a blessing in disguise given that Prado has been one of the best hitters on the Braves this year.

Currently batting .318 with five home runs and 39 RBI, Prado gives the Braves a solid No. 2 hitter behind Michael Bourn.

And, given the fact that he is ultra-versatile, he gives the Braves options when it comes to the lineup.

For instance, when Jack Wilson injured his thumb at shortstop and Andrelton Simmons was already on the disabled list, Prado moved to shortstop for a few games to solidify that position.

Next year, when Jones retires, the Braves can slot Prado in at third base and then go look for an outfielder on the open market.

Honestly, I think it’s a lot easier to find a decent left fielder than it is a decent third baseman.

Keep in mind, however, that if this does happen (or the Braves take Prado off the trade block), Arizona outfielder Justin Upton will not be coming to Atlanta.

Of course, this is all a given if the Braves can sign Prado to a multi-year deal, which I think they will.

Most of all, signing Prado to a multi-year deal will allow the Braves to put money towards re-signing Michael Bourn (instead of going after David Wright), and then to go after a good option in left field.

If, and only if, these pieces can fall into place, we Braves’ fans will be able to breathe a sigh of relief in knowing that we’ll have a good offense for many years to come.

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The Atlanta Braves are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, having won nine of their last 10 games.

And, they’ve done it with a combination of pitching and hitting.

With their recent success, and the early-season questions of needing to acquire another outfielder to take the place of Martin Prado, I’m wondering if it’s best for the Braves to stand pat with their lineup.

Currently, I believe the Braves don’t have to make a move since the offense and defense are performing well.

After an offseason in which they tried to trade away Prado and pitcher Jair Jurrjens, the Braves saw nothing interesting on the trade front, bringing both back for this season.

This alone caused crying among Braves’ fans who felt that general manager Frank Wren needed to make a move to improve the lineup.

With the 0-4 start, many were sitting back saying the same things due to the lack of offense.

Then, the bats came alive in the fifth game of the season against the Astros. Since then, nothing has been different at the plate, with the Braves getting the best of opponents’ pitchers.

Those fans who were calling for a move to be made have been silenced and the offense is clicking. And, there’s an old saying that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Well, it’s not broke right now, so there’s no reason to fix it.

Sure, it would be nice if Dan Uggla could display more power, but we all know he struggles at the beginning of the season.

It would also be nice if Chipper Jones could stay healthy and be in the lineup more than he has, but Juan Francisco hasn’t been a disappointment in his place, so there should really be no complaints there. Although, there is no arguing that Jones is a lot better than Francisco.

At some point before the trading deadline or during the offseason, this subject is going to be approached again.

And, eventually, there’s going to be a move that has to be made because guys like Jurrjens and Prado aren’t going to be under contract much longer. Tim Hudson is also getting up there in age, and guys like Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado can’t stay in the minor leagues that much longer.

Sure, Delgado is in the Braves’ rotation right now, but will be sent back to Triple-A once Hudson gets back. But you can’t keep those guys from the big leagues that much longer. They’ve earned big-league opportunities.

So, the lineup and rotation are going to have to be addressed at some point. But now is not the time.

Now is the time to go with what is working, and if that keeps certain guys out of the lineup or rotation, then that’s what it means.

One thing is for sure, the trading deadline and this offseason will be very interesting.

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I hate to write this article, but Chipper Jones will be 40 years old during the first month of the 2012 season. That means it’s time to take a look at five guys the Atlanta Braves could bring in to replace one of their all-time great players, a player with a World Series ring, MVP Award and batting title.

Chipper has said he will return for 2012, and has a $7 million club option for 2013 that would become automatic if he plays 123 games in 2012. Since the Braves have limited options right now, there’s a good chance he reaches that number of games if he can stay fairly healthy.

It’s also worth noting that he is still 385 hits away from 3,000 after picking up 125 in 2011, so there’s a chance he tries to stick it out through 2014 to reach the magic number of 3,000. Since it’s unknown how much he would have in the tank at that point in his career, I’m looking at guys that would replace him following the 2012 or 2013 seasons.

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As fans and followers of sports, we tend to only take into account what players have done for their teams as of late.  Their success from the season before has corresponded with bigger salaries, more media exposure, higher fantasy rankings and a higher level of respect and dependence.

While the trend for good players is to evolve in the game and continue to get better, there are also those who accomplish statistical breakouts that should warrant some sort of speculation. 

Whether pitchers explode for an exceptional strikeout-to-walk ratio, hitters posting huge power numbers that exceed anything they’ve done in the past, or the simple breakout seasons that players provide every April to October, we need to look at the facts and be more realistic with our calculations.

The players on this list are highly respected, highly valuable and significant parts to their team’s success. 

With that said, many of them have over achieved or have produced inflated stats making these 10 names the most overrated players in the MLB.

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There are no sure things in sports, but sometimes, you can come close.

In baseball, some players are so consistent that a look at their previous three or so years can give you a pretty good estimation of how they will perform in the coming season.

Here’s what Braves fans can reasonably expect.

Chipper Jones will get hurt; no rational human being can expect anything close to a full, healthy season from Chipper.

He hasn’t played more than 150 games since 2003, and many of the games in which he does appear are single pinch-hitting appearances or early exits after tweaking some body part. He further weakens the team with all those games where he’s too hurt to play, but not hurt enough to go on the DL.

Consider that he’s also had a steady three-year decline in slugging and he’s a $14 million dollar albatross around the Braves’ collective neck.

This leads us to our next guarantee.

Derek Lowe will eat innings and record double-digit wins. Roto players hate him, but since becoming a starter, Lowe has never failed to win in double-digits and never misses a start.

Considering the nightmarish wave of injuries that befell the Braves rotation in 2008, it’s no wonder Frank Wren was willing to overpay for this workhorse.

Dan Uggla will hit 30 homers and make 15 errors. Since Uggla joined the big leagues, he is second only to Albert Pujols in homers by National League right-handed hitters. Both his power numbers and his fielding stats have held steady over the course of his career.

Considering how hotly contested the Braves playoff series with the Giants was, despite Atlanta’s dearth of power and poor fielding in the series, I think Atlanta can stomach the occasional error from their new slugger.

Brian McCann will be Brian McCann and Martin Prado will be Martin Prado. Two models of consistency, McCann can be relied on for 20 homers, Prado will bat .300 and both will provide steady defense and a positive presence in the clubhouse.

The only question will be: Who plays left field when Prado takes over third base after Chipper’s inevitable injury?

Nate McLouth will stink.

Frank Wren has said that the Braves need McLouth to return to the form he showed in Pittsburgh, but let’s be clear about something: Nate McLouth had one terrific year in Pittsburgh in 2008, but was never that caliber of player before or since. Even at his best, he still only batted .276 with a .350 on-base percentage.

Take away his one atypical season and McLouth is a 10-homer, 12-steal guy with a .250 batting average. Hardly worth a starting spot on a championship contender.

Those are my guarantees for the season. Anyone else see any sure things for the Braves in the coming year?

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Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Question: Who leads second basemen in batting average since 2008?

Chase Utley? Robinson Cano? Dustin Pedroia?

Wrong times three.

Actually, Martin Prado leads all two-baggers with a .307 batting clip since 2008. But that’s not all…

In 2010, Prado appeared on track to hit 20 HRs for the first time in his career, until a finger injury forced him to miss nearly three weeks in August, thus zapping his power stroke.

He finished with 15 HRs and 100 runs in just 140 games, and at times last season performed as a top-25 fantasy player.

Prado’s uncanny ability to put his bat on the ball gives him a world of opportunity batting in front of Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann and Dan Uggla.

Last season, Prado ranked 11th among qualified batters in swinging strike rate (3.9 percent), and owned the 10th best contact rate (90.5 percent).

With the recent acquisition of Dan Uggla, Prado will be moved to left field this season. The home-grown second baseman has limited outfield experience (a grand total of five games between his minor and major league careers), but avid Braves fan and follower of the site, Josh Kullen, believes Prado will make the transition with ease:

“He’s played every position except catcher and center field with the Braves. Prado is a fighter and a dynamic team player, plus he’s going to get plenty of reps in left field this spring.”

Entering his age-27 season (a.k.a. his prime), there’s every reason to believe Prado will produce top-five numbers at the second base position.

Rotowire (148 ranking), the Yahoo! “experts” (91 ranking) and Mock Draft Central’s ADP (76.20) have failed to realize this, so consider yourself lucky.

Martin Prado is a top-50 asset that comes equipped with second base, third base and outfield eligibility. Draft him with confidence.

IMAGE COURTESY OF: FANTASY BASEBALL INSIDERS

Fantasy Baseball Insiders’ 2011 Big Board:

• Nos. 1-10: Is Pujols Still The Top Pick?
• Nos. 11-20: Where Do Votto, A-Rod and Halladay Fit In?
• Nos. 21-30: Hernandez, Lincecum or Wainwright?
• Nos. 31-40: Heyward, Upton or McCutchen?
• No. 41: Clayton Kershaw
• No. 42: Alex Rios
• No. 43: Brian McCann
• No. 44: Drew Stubbs
• No. 45: Ichiro Suzuki
• No. 46: Andre Ethier

MLB Trades: Fantasy Impact:

• Frank Francisco Traded to the Blue Jays, Who Will Be The Team’s Closer?
• Mike Napoli Traded to the Texas Rangers: Fantasy Impact
• Vernon Wells Traded to the Los Angeles Angels: Fantasy Impact
• Adrian Beltre Traded to the Texas Rangers: Fantasy Impact

Previous articles from Fantasy Baseball Insiders:

• Guerrero to Baltimore: Why He’s Better Off in Camden Yards than Rangers Ballpark
• The Sub-2.50 ERA Curse: Why Five Elite Starting Pitchers May Regress in 2011
• 2010 Batting Average on Balls in Play Leaders: What to Expect in 2011?
• 2011 Closer’s Corner: Papelbon, Cordero & Rivera Are the Only Reliable Options

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com