Seattle Acquires Drew Smyly as it Makes Pair of Trades
SEATTLE (AP) — The Mariners have made a pair of trades, landing left-handed starter Drew Smyly from the Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander reliever Shae Simmons from the Atlanta Braves.
Seattle completed the two deals on Wednesday. The Mariners acquired outfielder Mallex Smith from Atlanta, but then sent him to Tampa Bay along with infielder Carlos Vargas and left-hander Ryan Yarbrough.
Seattle also sent left-handed pitching prospects Luiz Gohara and Thomas Burrows to Atlanta and designated right-hander Cody Martin for assignment to make room on its 40-man roster.
Smyly is the centerpiece of the two trades as Seattle may have found a starting rotation solution. Smyly, 27, made 30 starts last season for Tampa Bay, throwing a career-high 175 1/3 innings and striking out 167. He was 7-12 with a 4.88 ERA.
Simmons, 26, made seven appearances last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and threw just 6 2/3 big league innings. Before elbow issues, Simmons was 1-2 with a 2.91 ERA in 26 appearances during the 2014 season.