HispanicBusiness

The Miami Marlins' franchise player is now a Los Angeles Dodger.

The Marlins traded third baseman Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers early Wednesday morning for pitching prospects Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough, a source confirmed.

The Dodgers also acquire left-handed reliever Randy Choate in the deal.

The trade comes a week before baseball's non-waiver trade deadline and signals the end of Ramirez's at times spectacular and often tumultuous tenure with the Marlins is over.

If the return for Ramirez appears light, that's because the Marlins aren't sending a penny to the Dodgers to cover what remains of the six-year, $70 million contract Ramirez signed in May 2008. He is due just under $6 million this season and an additional $31.5 million over the next two seasons.

The trade comes on the heels of the Marlins shipping Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to the Detroit Tigers as part of what President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest termed a restructuring. The Marlins thought they put together a playoff team in their inaugural season at Marlins Park, but instead the roster arguably has been the most disappointing in baseball. The front office, after 90-plus games, felt compelled to dramatically alter the mix.

Once the cornerstone player of a low-spending Marlins team, the power-hitting Ramirez was the 2006 National League Rookie of the Year, 2009 batting champion, and a three-time All-Star. His Marlins legacy is as much about what he didn't accomplish as much as what he did.

Mental lapses on the field and maturity lapses off it prompted many inside and outside the organization to question whether the Marlins could ever win with Ramirez on the roster.

Ramirez at one point was widely considered one of the NL's best players, perhaps second only to Albert Pujols. From the time Ramirez made his Marlins' debut in 2006 through the 2010 season, he batted .313 with a .385 on-base percentage and .521 slugging percentage. Those numbers from the start of 2011 through Tuesday: .245/.327/.404.

So far in 2012 he's hit .246 with 14 home runs and 47 runs batted in. His Wins Above Replacement Value is 0.4 -- barely above that a Triple-A call-up would provide to the team.

From owner Jeffrey Loria to manager Ozzie Guillen, the organization said Ramirez remained the centerpiece of the team in spite of all their major free agent acquisitions. The Marlins asked Ramirez to move to third base when they signed friend and fellow Dominican shortstop Jose Reyes to a six-year, $106 million contract.

It was a smoother transition than anyone imagined save for the fact Ramirez's bat never came around.

He will be expected to play both positions in Los Angeles, likely starting at shortstop while Dee Gordon recovers from injury, then sliding to third upon Gordon's return to replace the perpetually slumping Juan Uribe.

In Eovaldi, the Marlins acquire a 22-year old, four-pitch starter with a 94 mile per hour sinking fastball that has been described by scouts as "effortless." He has struggled in his limited time at the Major League level, mostly due to command issues. In 20 appearances for the Dodgers over the last two years, Eovaldi has registered a 3.96 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP, while averaging 5.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

McGough was the Dodgers' 2011 fifth-round pick out of Oregon. He was playing for club's advanced Class-A California League affiliate in Rancho Cucamonga, where in 35 relief appearances (47 1/3 innings) was 3-5 with a 3.99 ERA, 26 walks and 48 strikeouts.

Eligible for free agency following the season, Choate heads to Chavez Ravine after 44 appearances with the Marlins. He posted a sub-1 WHIP in Miami and left-handed hitters are batting .150 against him in 2012.