Mariners send Brad Miller, Logan Morrison to Rays in 6-player trade
Nov 5, 2015, 5:44 PM | Updated: 6:04 pm
(AP)
The Seattle Mariners have traded utility man Brad Miller, first baseman Logan Morrison and relief pitcher Danny Farquhar to the Tampa Bay Rays for pitchers Nathan Karns and C.J. Riefenhauser and minor league outfielder Boog Powell.
The move is a considerable roster shakeup, the first by new general manager Jerry Dipoto.
“As I said when I was hired, we need to get more flexible, more athletic and build pitching depth,” Dipoto said in a Mariners press release. “This trade allows us to do all three. Powell brings speed, defense and on-base percentage to the table and could be ready to help us as soon as 2016, while Karns and Riefenhauser give us young, but experienced, pitching options.”
Karns is a right-handed starter who went 7-5 with a 3.67 ERA over 27 games (26 starts). He led all American League rookies in innings pitched (147), strikeouts (145) and starts. He will be 28 when the 2016 season begins.
Riefenhauser is a 25-year-old left-handed reliever. He bounced between the Rays and Triple-A Durham in 2015, posting a 5.52 ERA over 17 appearances with Tampa Bay. He finished the year with seven straight scoreless appearances.
Powell, 22, hit a combined .295 with three home runs, 66 runs scores, 40 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a .385 on-base percentage with Double-A Montgomery and Triple-Durham in 2015.
In Miller, Morrison and Farquhar, the Mariners part with a trio of players who showed flashes of impact but never quite realized their potential in Seattle.
Miller, 26, is mainly a shortstop but spent much of 2015 in the outfield, a position he had not played before. He finished the year with a .258 average, 11 home runs and 46 RBIs in 144 games.
Morrison, 28, had a .225 batting average, 17 home runs and 54 RBIs in 146 games in 2015, his second season with the Mariners.
Farquhar struggled in 2015, splitting his time between Seattle and Triple-A Tacoma. The 28-year-old righty had a 1-8 record and 5.12 ERA for the Mariners.