Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Mariners Rumors

Arquimedes Caminero Released To Pursue Contract With Yomiuri Giants

By | at

DECEMBER 16: Seattle announced that Caminero has officially been released to pursue the opportunity in Japan.

DECEMBER 10: Mariners righty Arquimedes Caminero is close to a deal with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan, as noted by Yahoo! Japan (via Beyond The Box Score’s Kazuto Yamazaki and Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune, who notes that the Mariners have already agreed to sell Caminero’s contract).

The 29-year-old Caminero is out of options, and the Mariners’ decision suggests that they don’t foresee much of a future for him on a team with plenty of right-handed bullpen possibilities, even though he has four years of control remaining before free agency and has tantalizing velocity. Caminero throws harder than almost anyone — his 97.9-MPH average fastball velocity last year was faster than anyone except Aroldis Chapman’s.

Caminero has had persistent problems with walks, with 4.9 BB/9 last year. His 3.56 ERA last year between the Pirates and Mariners looks decent on the surface, but his peripheral numbers have generally been unimpressive, and he’s never been as dominant as his velocity would suggest, perhaps in part because he relies too heavily on his fastball. Through parts of four seasons in the big leagues with the Marlins and Pirates in addition to the Mariners, Caminero has a 3.83 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 155 innings.

Phillies Claim Richie Shaffer, Release Phil Klein To Pursue Asian Deal

By | at

The Phillies have claimed infielder/outfielder Richie Shaffer off waivers from the Mariners, per a club announcement. Additionally, the team announced that righty Phil Klein was released in order for him to sign a contract to play with an organization in Asia.

Philadelphia announced Shaffer as a third baseman, perhaps suggesting that’s where they see him being utilized — though, of course, that position will almost certainly be manned regularly by Maikel Franco. Shaffer can also play the corner outfield or first base.

The 25-year-old Shaffer, a former first-round pick, bounced from the Rays to the Mariners earlier this offseason. He was riding high after a big 2015 season in which he hit 30 total long balls between the upper minors and the majors (where he received his first, brief look). But he largely struggled in the campaign that just ended, posting a meager .227/.329/.367 batting line at the Triple-A level and earning only twenty games in the bigs. Those struggles made him expendable, but the Phils evidently see enough upside to take a chance with a 40-man spot — though the team could ultimately attempt to sneak him through waivers at some point.

Klein, 27, also landed in Philadelphia through a waiver claim — in his case, from the Rangers. He did not pitch particularly well in his four appearances late in 2016 for the Phils, and owns only a 5.50 ERA over his 55 2/3 total major league innings. But Klein has carried impressive strikeout numbers and posted dominant results in the upper minors, which surely lent to his appeal to ballclubs on the other side of the Pacific. It is not yet clear just where Klein is headed.

Padres Claim Zach Lee

By | at

The Padres have claimed righty Zach Lee off waivers from the Mariners, Seattle announced. He had recently been designated for assignment.

Once considered a top-100 prospect leaguewide, Lee’s star has waned in recent years. He was acquired last year from the Dodgers in the deal that sent infielder Chris Taylor to Los Angeles. Lee was originally taken in the back end of the first round of the 2010 draft, back when current San Diego front office man Logan White was running the Dodgers’ drafts, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune notes on Twitter.

[RELATED: Updated Padres Depth Chart]

Still just 25, Lee briefly reached the majors in 2015. But he fell well shy of earning a return in the ensuing campaign. Over his 148 Triple-A innings in 2016, Lee scuffled to a 6.14 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9. Lee was torched for 193 hits in that span, including 22 long balls, but it seems that the Pads have reason to believe they can get him back on track.

 

Mariners Have Asked Rays, Reds About Starters

By | at

  • The Mariners have been talking with both the Rays and the Reds about starters, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports on Twitter. Seattle has been said to be hunting for one more rotation piece, and it’s not surprising to see these two particular organizations mentioned. Tampa Bay, as noted, has long been expected to consider trading out of its staff; the M’s could conceivably have interest in just about any of the pitchers listed above. And while we haven’t heard much in the way of specifics from Cincinnati, it stands to reason that the club would at least weigh offers for pitchers such as Anthony DeSclafani and Dan Straily.

Mariners Outright Dean Kiekhefer

By | at

  • The Mariners outrighted lefty Dean Kiekhefer, the club announced. He had recently been designated for assignment. A 22-inning MLB debut in 2016 didn’t go very well, as Kiekhefer pitched to a 5.32 ERA for the Cardinals, but he has posted sub-3.00 earned run averages in each of the past three seasons in the upper minors.

Braves Acquires Tyler Pike From Mariners As PTBNL

By | at

The Braves have acquired lefty Tyler Pike from the Mariners as the player to be named later in the recent trade between the organizations, per club announcements. The late-November swap sent righties Rob Whalen and Max Povse to Seattle in exchange for outfield prospect Alex Jackson, who’ll now be joined by Pike.

A third-round pick in the 2012 draft, Pike has twice reached the Double-A level, but spent all of 2016 at High-A Bakersfield. In his 125 2/3 innings there, Pike worked to a 4.01 ERA with 9.6 K/9 against 4.9 BB/9. While that’s obviously a rather hefty walk total, it’s actually just below his career levels. Clearly, he’ll need to lock in his command to earn a shot at making the Braves’ MLB staff at some point in the future.

Mariners Designate Richie Shaffer For Assignment

By | at

The Mariners have announced that they’ve designated infielder/outfielder Richie Shaffer for assignment. The move clears roster space for incoming starting pitcher Chris Heston, who was acquired in a trade with the Giants that is now official.

The Mariners acquired Shaffer (along with Taylor Motter) in a small deal with the Rays last month. The 25-year-old Shaffer was the 25th overall pick in the draft in 2012. He’s spent parts of the past two seasons in the big leagues, batting .213/.310/.410 in 142 plate appearances. He was unimpressive in a larger sample this year at Triple-A Durham, batting .227/.329/.367 in 496 trips to the plate. He had a strong year on the farm in 2015, swatting 26 homers, and he’s capable of playing first base, third base or right field, so it’s not impossible a team could take a chance on him as a waiver claim.

Giants Trade Chris Heston To Mariners

By | at

The Giants have traded righty Chris Heston to the Mariners, FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi tweets. The Giants will receive a player to be named in return, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Morosi had previously tweeted that the two teams were discussing a deal involving Heston.

The Giants were hoping to trade Heston by tonight, Alex Pavlovic of the Mercury News wrote (Twitter links). They had planned to designate Heston for assignment to open a roster spot for incoming closer Mark Melancon when Melancon’s deal became official later today. By trading Heston, they will at least receive a prospect in return. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweeted earlier today that the Giants were shopping Heston.

The 28-year-old Heston had an effective season in the Giants rotation in 2015, posting a 3.95 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a robust 53.0 GB% over 177 2/3 innings. He began the 2016 season in the bullpen, however, and was eventually optioned to Triple-A Sacramento, where he posted a somewhat disappointing 4.54 ERA, 5.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 81 1/3 innings while also dealing with an oblique injury. He has less than two years of service time and has an option remaining, so he figures to provide the Mariners with a controllable starter.

Mariners Reportedly Shopping Seth Smith

By | at

DEC. 7: FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that the Mariners are more than simply open to the idea of moving Smith and are actually shopping him around. Seattle would like to free up some money to further invest in its rotation, per Heyman, who also reports that Smith nearly went to the Red Sox before Boston agreed to a deal with free agent Mitch Moreland.

DEC. 5: The Mariners are listening to offers on outfielder Seth Smith, reports Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Indeed, the M’s have long been willing to consider moving the veteran, who’ll earn $7MM this year after his club option was picked up, according to the report.

Smith, 34, could certainly hold appeal to other organizations. Teams such as the Orioles and Blue Jays have been tied to left-handed-hitting corner outfield bats, and surely would like the idea of taking on a more limited commitment than might be found on the open market.

In all likelihood, rival teams would view Smith much in the same way the Mariners have — as a lefty platoon piece who might see 400+ plate appearances. He slashed .249/.342/.415 with 16 home runs over 438 plate appearances last year. That production fell a bit shy of his work over the prior two years, but is largely in line with his career numbers.

Mariners In Talks With Mark Trumbo

By | at

The Mariners are in talks with free agent slugger Mark Trumbo, ESPN’s Jim Bowden writes. MLB.com’s Greg Johns confirms (via Twitter) that the two sides have spoken, although he characterizes talks as being somewhat less serious than Bowden suggests.

Trumbo and current Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto were once both in the Angels organization, so perhaps it’s no surprise that Trumbo and the Mariners have touched base. Trumbo would add even more power to a lineup that already contains Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Jean Segura and Kyle Seager, and the Mariners can certainly use a bit of outfield help.

Trumbo, then, could be a very tempting target for Seattle after a season in which he batted .256/.316/.533 with a league-leading 47 home runs. He could conceivably fit into the Mariners’ mixes in the outfield and at first base until Cruz’s contract expires following the 2018 season, at which point he could perhaps move to DH. Trumbo does, however, come with caveats, particularly at the $60MM price tag we predict he’ll command over four years — he frequently strikes out and isn’t strong defensively, and past editions of Mariners teams were weighted down by too many sluggers who lacked defensive value. Trumbo also rejected a qualifying offer.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top