The Rays and Mariners swapped six players in first trade of the offseason
The Major League Baseball hot stove has officially been lit. The first trade of the offseason was completed Thursday as the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners came together for a six-player swap.
OK, so the first trade of the offseason wasn’t a blockbuster, but there are still some intriguing players here. Let’s break down the Rays side of things first.
Brad Miller and Logan Morrison headline the deal, though both have lost a fair amount of luster of the past few seasons. Miller had some promise coming up through the Mariners’ system, but hasn’t produced in the majors. Over two seasons, he owns a .248/.313/.394 slash line.
It should be noted that Miller made some progress at the plate in 2015, hitting .258/.329/.402. That’s not great, but it’s passable for a middle infielder who can play defense. Miller is not that guy. The Mariners became frustrated with his fielding during the 2015 season, eventually converting him to the outfield.
[Related: The epic story of the 2015 Royals and their World Series championship]
It’s unclear where he’ll play with the Rays.The team has a bigger need at short, but they might not love Miller’s defense there. While the team’s outfield isn’t great, it’s unclear whether Miller is good enough to unseat Desmond Jennings, Kevin Kiermaier or Steven Souza. For now, it looks like Tampa Bay is hoping a change of scenery can help get the 26-year-old Miller back to producing like he did as a minor leaguer.
Once upon a time, Logan Morrison was a decent prospect, but injuries and lost time have turned him into something else. He got an opportunity to prove himself with Seattle in 2015, but mostly disappointed. He has some pop, but only hit .225/.302/.383 over 511 plate appearances. He probably becomes a bench piece with the Rays.
Reliever Danny Farquar also made his way to Tampa Bay in the deal. Farquar is coming off a horrible year, in which he posted a 5.12 ERA. He was excellent in 2014, though, with a 2.66 ERA. Home runs were a big issue this season, and perhaps the Rays believe they can help him cut down on the long ball moving forward.
Pitcher Nathan Karns is the biggest name going over to Seattle. The 27-year-old experienced plenty of ups and downs during his first full season in the majors. Karns’ 3.67 ERA was solid, and he struck out a fair amount of hitters, but his control is just average and he had some issues with home runs in 2015. He also had some issues going deep into games. With Hisashi Iwakuma set to leave in free agency, Karns could be a cheaper, younger replacement in the eyes of the Mariners’ front office. He’s not as good as Iwakuma, but Karns can be a back-end starter.
Reliever C.J. Riefenhauser and Boog Powell also head to Seattle as part of the deal. The 25-year-old Riefenhauser has posted decent numbers in Triple-A, but never really received an extended period in the majors. The Rays kept him at the Triple-A level for three straight seasons, so it’s clear they didn’t see much there.
Powell is not the John Wesley Powell who played for the Baltimore Orioles in the 70s. This is outfielder Hershel Mack Powell, who also goes by “Boog.” The two are not related. The 22-year-old has virtually no power, but has shown high on-base percentages in the minors. If he reaches the majors, it will likely be as a complementary piece.
Look, it’s not a blockbuster, but there are some interesting guys involved here. And, if nothing else, the trade signals that general managers around the game are already active, and looking to make deals. Hopefully, this is the first of many moves we see this offseason.
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The World Series may have just ended, but the hot stove is already starting to heat up. We’re biased, but that’s pretty exciting.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
