Miami ? The Florida Marlins traded power-hitting first baseman Mike Jacobs on Thursday to the Kansas City Royals for relief pitcher Leo Nunez.

The Marlins were shopping Jacobs because he was due a big raise in arbitration, and have plenty of options at first base. In exchange, they got a right-hander who throws in the mid-90s.

Nunez, a native of the Dominican Republic, was 4-1 last year with a 2.98 earned-run average in 45 relief appearances. He has a 9-7 lifetime record in the majors.

This move was the first of several expected out of Florida, which has baseball’s smallest payroll and 17 players eligible for arbitration this winter. The deal was actually completed much earlier, but the teams waited until the World Series concluded to announce it.

Jacobs is a career .262 hitter the Marlins acquired in the 2005 Carlos Delgado trade with the New York Mets. He had 32 home runs and 93 RBIs last season, both career bests, and helped the Marlins become the second team in MLB history with three infielders hitting 30 homers in a season.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore said Jacobs would probably bat somewhere in the No. 4 to No. 6 holes for Kansas City. Though the Royals have a crowd at first base, Moore said Jacobs would be in the lineup daily, either there or as the designated hitter.