The Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays began the 2016 MLB offseason with a six-player trade on Thursday night. Seattle improved their pitching staff with the move while Tampa Bay added a couple of position players.
Both clubs confirmed the trade last night. The Mariners sent middle infielder/outfielder Brad Miller, first baseman Logan Morrison and reliever Danny Farquhar to the Rays in exchange for starting pitcher Nathan Karns, young reliever C.J. Riefenhauser and outfield prospect Boog Powell.
The #Rays acquired SS Brad Miller, 1B/OF Logan Morrison & RHP Danny Farquhar from Seattle for Nathan Karns, C.J. Riefenhauser & Boog Powell.
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) November 6, 2015
#Mariners complete six-player trade with #Rays. Details: https://t.co/CvCPSzPUeu pic.twitter.com/pwORDiPhx0
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) November 6, 2015
Here's what Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto said about the trade.
"As I said when I was hired, we need to get more flexible, more athletic and build pitching depth," he said, via MLB.com. "This trade allows us to do all three. Powell brings speed, defense on on-base percentage to the table and could be ready to help us as soon as 2016, while Karns and Riefenhauser give us young, but experienced, pitching options."
Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman was also pleased with the deal.
"We feel even better about the talent that we'll have on the infield next year," he told Bill Chastain of MLB.com. "We feel better about our lineup versus right-handed pitching, especially. And feel better about the general balance of our roster."
Below we've provided the 2015 stats for each player.
Rays get:
Miller: The 26-year-old batted .258/.329/.402 with 44 runs scored, 11 home runs, 46 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 144 games. He recorded games in all of the outfield positions, shortstop, second base and third base.
Morrison: The 28-year-old hit just .225/.302/.383 but recorded 47 runs scored, 17 homers and 54 RBI in 146 games. He didn't exactly perform up to expectations in Seattle, but neither did most of the players on the team.
Farquhar: It was also an underachieving season for Farquhar. The right-hander went 1-8 with a 5.12 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 43 games (51 innings). However, he was 3-4 with a 3.34 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 17 saves in 112 games the two seasons prior.
Mariners get:
Karns: The 27-year-old's first season as a full-time starter went well. He finished 7-5 with a 3.67 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 145 strikeouts in 27 games (26 starts), totaling 147 innings. He mainly got an opportunity to start because of the injuries to a number of the team's other pitchers, and he proved he's capable in that role.
Riefenhauser: The 25-year-old pitched in only 17 games and went 1-0 with a 5.52 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 14 2/3 innings. His numbers in the minors were much better (4-2, 2.86 ERA in 29 games at Triple-A Durham), so the Mariners are hoping that's the Riefenhauser they get.
Powell: The 22-year-old prospect wasn't among the team's top-10, but he's got upside. He made it to Triple-A in 2015 after spending half the season at Double-A Montgomery and batted .295/.385/.392 with 66 runs scored, 3 home runs, 40 RBI and 18 stolen bases in 117 games. Dipoto hopes Powell can bring some athleticism to the outfield when his time comes.
