Breaking Down Every Mariners Move This Offseason
By Nick Lee
Traded RHP Nathan Karns to Royals For OF Jarrod Dyson
What They Lost
Karns was a bit of a disappointment in 2016. He started the year in the rotation and slowly fizzled out. After allowing four earned runs in five innings on June 25th, he never started again. He appeared in seven more games as a reliever but continued to struggle. He finished with a 5.15 ERA.
What They Gain
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This could possibly be one of the most key acquisitions of the offseason. It is obvious Dipoto wanted this team to be faster, more athletic and better defensively. He gets all of that with Dyson. On an inside-the-park home run in 2015, he topped out at 21.5 MPH running the bases. He has stolen at least 30 bases in four of the past five seasons. He hit a modest .278 last season with a .340 on-base percentage. He was also an intricate part of getting the Royals to two straight World Series and winning the latter.
Perhaps the most impressive attribute is his fielding. He likely takes over in left field for Nori Aoki. To compare, Aoki was at -4 in defensive runs saved (DRS) last season. Dyson posted a +19 DRS last year. That is a difference of 23 runs saved for the Mariners’ outfield.
Traded OF Mallex Smith, SS Carlos Vargas and LHP Ryan Yarbrough to Rays for LHP Drew Smyly
What They Lost
This was an odd day in Mariners history. They just had received Mallex Smith from the Braves that day. He was one of Atlanta’s top prospects, only to be traded again an hour later to the Rays. He battled injuries in 2016 but in 2015 he hit .306 between Double and Triple-A and is considered a plus fielder.
Vargas played 62 games in Rookie ball last year, hitting .242 with 7 home runs.
Yarbrough had 25 starts for Double-A Jackson, with an impressive 2.95 ERA.
What They Gained
Smyly, much like Gallardo, has a good track record but had a bit of a hiccup last season. He went 7-12 with a 4.88 ERA in 30 starts. In the four seasons before that, he had a 3.24 ERA and averaged 96 strikeouts in 99 innings per year. For one reason or another, he has turned in only two full seasons in the big leagues but has played in five. If the dice roll in Seattle’s favor with Smyly, they will have formidable rotation that features two solid lefties in Smyly and James Paxton.
Next: The Ten Worst Mariners Free Agent Signings Ever
With this new roster, things are looking up once again for the Mariners. This could be a playoff roster. It is very hard to make the playoffs in the MLB. If the Mariners can stay healthy and hit on at least a few of these acquisitions, October baseball should return to Seattle.