The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Nathan Karns from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Jarrod Dyson.
Karns, 29, spent the 2016 season with the Mariners, going 6-2 with a 5.15 ERA (54 ER in 94.1 IP), with 101 strikeouts in 15 starts and 22 appearances. The right-hander got off to a solid start, going 5-1 with a 3.43 ERA (22 ER in 57.2 IP) in his first 10 outings of the season, which included a career-best five-game winning streak from April 15 to May 30. His 9.64 strikeouts per 9.0 innings before the All-Star break ranked sixth in the American League (minimum 88.0 IP). He missed the final two months of the regular season after being placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 30 with a lower back strain.
The Royals will be Karns' fourth franchise since he debuted with the Washington Nationals on May 28, 2013. In 54 career big league appearances (46 starts), he's 14-9 with a 4.41 ERA, recording 270 strikeouts in 265.1 innings. After making three starts for the Nats in 2013, he was traded to the Rays prior to the 2014 season, and spent two years with Tampa Bay. In his first full season (2015), he led AL rookies in starts (26), innings (147.0) and strikeouts (145) and was second in opponents' average (.239) and third in ERA (3.67) among hurlers with at least 100.0 innings. He allowed two runs or fewer in 19 of his 26 starts with the Rays in 2015, while he had 10 starts allowing three hits or fewer, which were the most by an AL rookie since 2001.
Dyson, 32, hit .278 with 46 runs scored and 30 stolen bases in 2016 with Kansas City.
The Royals Major League Reserve List remains at 40 players following the trade.