The Mariners announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of righties Prelander Berroa and Isaiah Campbell and outfielders Cade Marlowe and Jonatan Clase. All four are now on the 40-man roster and protected from being selected in next month’s Rule 5 Draft. The quartet of additions fills Seattle’s 40-man roster for the time being.
Each of Berroa (13), Clase (15) and Marlowe (21) rank within the organization’s top 30 prospects, per Baseball America. Mariners president of baseball operations had already confirmed last week that Berroa would be selected to the 40-man roster, though the other additions had not been made public.
Berroa, 22, was acquired from the Giants in a deal that sent infielder Donovan Walton to San Francisco. The Dominican-born righty split the year between the High-A affiliates of the Giants and Mariners before topping out with Seattle’s Double-A club later in the year. In a combined 100 2/3 innings, Berroa posted a 2.86 ERA with a gaudy 36.5% strikeout rate but also a problematic 15.3% walk rate.
Clase, just 20, draws 80-grade reviews for his speed and is considered a potential above-average or better defender in center field. He spent the year in Class-A, hitting .267/.373/.463 with a hearty 13% walk rate but also a more suspect 26.7% strikeout rate. While earlier scouting reports on him suggested he lacked power, Clase smacked 13 home runs in 499 plate appearances and posted a .196 ISO (slugging minus batting average) this season, showing more pop than some might have expected.
Marlowe posted an impressive .287/.377/.487 slash with 23 home runs and a whopping 42 steals in 578 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A this season. It was an impressive enough showing that he was on the taxi squad and under consideration to make his Major League debut during the playoffs for the Mariners in 2022. The Mariners are expected to add some veteran outfielders this offseason, but Marlowe will be among the options if the team needs to tap into its depth in the event of an injury early in 2023.
Campbell, 25, was the Mariners’ second-round pick in 2019. The 6’4″, 230-pound righty tallied 21 saves and posted a pristine 1.57 ERA with a 33% strikeout rate against a 6.7% walk rate in 46 innings between High-A and Double-A this year.
It’s possible, though not a given, that the Mariners will have further moves in the hours ahead. Seattle is reportedly active on the trade market as teams look to set their rosters in advance of the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft. Seattle is reportedly open to dealing Jesse Winker on the heels of a disappointing season, and they’ve been receiving interest in fifth-starter candidates Chris Flexen and Marco Gonzales since the offseason began.
That Berroa for Walton deal is a stinker for then GM Scott Harris and Farhan Zaidi. I know SF had infielder injuries, but geez.. . .
Should I say goodbye to Travis Kuhn now?
Little guy with so-so command.
Maybe he gets taken but idk that he’d stick all year with the constant reliever shuttle most teams use.
He’s 5’10” and nearly 200 lbs. I wouldn’t call that little. His command is shaky, but he flashes a plus fastball and slider when he’s on.
Whether or not he were to stick with a team isn’t really the concern. It’s that he could serve as immediate depth for the first few months of the season as some of the AA arms edge closer to being MLB-ready.
Not a huge deal, but it was a little surprising nonetheless.
5’10 is what I meant.
That’s very short for a right handed pitcher. A lot of teams take prototypes in the R5 and work with them. But totally possible.
Looks like my O’s haven’t protected Drew Rom yet anyway…
That’s a guy who id expect gets taken, for sure.
Anyways I’ve seen your name on the FG message boards too.
Can’t wait for their piece on rule 5 guys to come out. Ought to be a good read.
Campbell is going to be a good reliever.