By Jordan Long
The Seattle Mariners added a pitcher to their starting rotation making a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Mariners acquired Drew Smyly in exchange for outfielder Mallex Smith, infielder Carlos Vargas, and left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough. What will Drew Smyly bring to the Mariners?
Smyly is entering his 6th MLB season and the Mariners will be his third team. He previously pitched for Tampa Bay and Detroit. Last season for Tampa Bay, Smyly started 30 games. His record was an unimpressive 7-12 with a 4.88 ERA. He was able to strike batters out with 167 strikeouts. His career record is 31-27 with 522 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.74
The Mariners wanted to add depth to the rotation. They felt this was the move that would. According to ESPN, Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto said, “We have been clear that one of our top priorities this offseason was to continue to bolster our starting rotation. Today’s moves allowed us to add an experienced pitcher to our starting group. Drew took the ball 30 times last season, threw over 175 innings and is a proven performer in the American League. He’s a good fit for our club.”
The Mariners are taking a risk on Smyly. He can strike batters out which could help Seattle stay in games. The only downside is that he hasn’t won many games in his career. The Mariners are hoping that Smyly’s pitching will keep them in ball games when he starts.
The Mariners gave up a lot for a guy who will be in the back of the rotation. For this deal to be successful Smyly must be able to keep the ball low in the zone which will force batters to swing at pitches, equaling strikeouts. Leaving a ball up or in the middle of the zone will be home runs costing him games. He also can’t walk batters because that is a free base for the hitter. Hopefully for the Mariners this trade works out.
What do you think of the Mariners acquiring Drew Smyly?
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