The Mariners announced a slate of roster moves last night, reducing their spring roster to 48 players. Among the most notable cuts: right-hander Gerson Bautista was released from the organization.
This marks the second time that the Mariners organization has parted ways with Bautista, although the circumstances are different. Seattle outrighted Bautista off its 40-man roster at the end of the 2020 season after he missed the year due to a flexor strain in his pitching arm, and he was able to elect free agency thereafter. He quickly returned on a new minor league deal, signing back with the Mariners just two weeks later.
That’s not the case this time around, as Bautista wasn’t on the 40-man roster and has been able to pitch this spring — but has not done so effectively. The hard-throwing 25-year-old served up three runs in 5 1/3 innings, which isn’t necessarily alarming on its own, but he did so on the strength of seven hits and six walks without recording a strikeout. Small sample or not, six walks against no strikeouts through 26 batters faced isn’t an encouraging omen for any pitcher — particularly one who punched out 27.5 percent of his opponents at the Triple-A level. Bautista came to the Mariners alongside Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn in the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz blockbuster with the Mets, and it seems he may now be destined for a new organization.
The Mariners also optioned righty Yohan Ramirez to Triple-A to begin the season after the righty accrued a full year of service in their bullpen last year. Ramirez posted a strong 2.61 ERA and whiffed 26 batters in 20 2/3 frames, so some may be a bit surprised by his demotion. However, in spite of that impressive ERA, he also issued 20 walks, plunked four hitters and tossed a pair of wild pitches. His control could clearly use some refinement, and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets that he’s also been behind after spending time away from the club due to Covid-19 protocols. Ramirez tossed just one inning in an official game this spring and, despite not yielding a hit, allowed a pair of runs on a walk, two hit batters and two wild pitches.
It’s also notable that top pitching prospect Logan Gilbert was reassigned to a minor league camp. The former first-rounder only made one Cactus League start, and given his lack of pro experience — just one full season, in 2019 — that wouldn’t have registered as much of a surprise. However, former CEO Kevin Mather suggested during the interview that led to his resignation that Gilbert wouldn’t make the Opening Day roster but would be in the Majors “by mid-April.” As such, the right-hander’s timeline to the big leagues will be interesting to monitor. He’s yet to pitch above Double-A, where he started nine games in 2019. In a total of 135 frames between Class-A, Class-A Advanced and Double-A that year, Gilbert worked to a combined 2.13 ERA with a gaudy 31.7 percent strikeout rate and a tiny 6.3 percent walk rate.
He will be remembered as the main trade chip in the Diaz and Cano trade. To bad he didn’t pan out.
yeah dang. Mets pulled off a robbery in that deal.
Cano has been great! Surprised he hasn’t won MVP.
BVW is now owed an apology by a lot of people
I hope this is sarcasm.
No he wasn’t.
Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn were the number one and two pieces in the trade.
Gerson Bautista was the third piece.
Kelenic is a D graded prospect. Dunn is average, but Bautista was elite until he lost control
Kelenic a D graded prospect?! He’s in the top 5 of nearly ALL of the top 100 MLB prospect lists this year.
Equal difficulty, you creating that comment and most readers actually giving sarcasm a consideration.
Bud… he’s poking fun man.
@Lars MacDonald obviously it’s sarcasm
ok – thanks.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell and I’m not a Met’s fan so I don’t have the context.
The inability of some people on here to differentiate complete sarcasm from seriousness is beyond me. Some of the stuff is so blatantly sarcastic, but I have no idea how some people don’t get it.
@Lars MacDonald Yeah I get it lol. Sometimes it is hard to understand sarcasm through text
Thick headed much?
reality is he hasnt done much of anything above the A level
“despite not yielding a hit, allowed a pair of runs on a walk, two hit batters, & two wild pitches.”
Bro, I get it.
I once threw a no-no in high school…& lost, man! Do you have any idea how many BB’s & HBP’s & WP’s it takes to give up eight earned?
No?
Well, I certainly do.
Hey man, 17 inches is actually quite small. Ramirez is now my favorite Mariner. I hope he’s able to find that “refinement” he needs to pitch in the bigs, man.
So, Rodney Dangerfield was a pitcher in high school. After a game, he would come home for dinner. His mom would serve it on a 24 inch platter and say, “Here, maybe you can find this plate.”
The above explains why I don’t have a job as a joke writer.
I’m not Rodney Dangerfield & it wasn’t a platter it was two large dinner plates next to each other.
Mom was just trying to rebuild my confidence. & most of the mashed potatoes made it onto the edge of one of the plates which was a first. So yeah. It did help.
Two plates of mashed potatoes. That’s why I run marathons. I’d weigh 400 pounds. Love carbs.
I also think Ramirez will be back soon. got in late to camp but he was good last year. with that team lacking a closer (I daresay Sadler looks like the front-runner now) he could take that position by year’s end.
Montero is gonna be the closer.
he’s struggled so far this spring and his health is always a question mark. (though I will concede i forgot about him when looking at tge candidates)
Montero has looked really good in games this spring…
the numbets say otherwise. was it a single bad outing?
Two bad outings to start ST, and he’s rattled off 4 really good ones after that.
Presumptive Seattle closer Rafael Montero opened the Cactus League season with two poor outings but since in four appearances has tossed four hitness shutout innings with no walks:
https://www.mlb.com/player/rafael-montero-606160?stats=gamelogs-s-pitching-mlb&year=2021
Darkmeat- If the M’s are playing the service time game Yohan Ramirez should be back up on 4/17. The first day he’s eligible. Despite being a little wild Ramirez showed elite stuff last yr* check out his stuff on Baseball Savant. He and Graveman should be our 8th inn guys this yr.
The M’s are not lacking a closer at all- Montero will be the Opening Day closer. He might have been a little rusty in his first 2 Cactus League outings but he’s looked good since. Should he get injured they’ll probably give the 9th to Graveman or Middleton seeing the latter has more Saves than Rafael Montero.
Hopefully Andres Munoz doesn’t follow Gerson Bautista down the damaged goods path. You always worry about those guys that have triple digit FB’s – they’re living on borrowed time. Soon to be borrowed ligaments!
Plus Ken Giles will be closer once healthy next year.
Or maybe Munoz
Du a beast!
Brodie the God lol
He must’ve nailed this trade. Who else was involved? (I’m kidding, I already know and it bums me out)
Too young to not see a chance with another organization. Expect a club with low expectations to offer a minors deal: PIT, BAL, COL, etc.
Really would like to see the Orioles pickup Bautista.
*The heaviest sarcasm* ‘That trade is a total bust for the Mariners’
His issue has always been control. If someone could help him fix his mechanics, he has the potential to be a closer somewhere, and I don’t mean in real estate like in “Glengarry Glenross.”
Are you saying he can’t drink coffee for the time being?
You are correct. Well played.
for what its worth Martino said McNeal was in the Cano/Diaz deal at first.
I think he’s going to have success with a team at some point. Sad to see him go. I thought he was gonna be a stud with the Mariners
Gilbert likely didn’t throw many innings at the alternate site last year. I didn’t see him making the team and stressing his arm with a full mlb season.
Any relation to Gerson Keilor?