Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today that the club has acquired left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfielder Mallex Smith, infielder Carlos Vargas and left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough.
The Mariners Major League, 40-man, roster remains full.
"We have been clear that one of our top priorities this off-season was to continue to bolster our starting rotation," Dipoto said. "Today's moves allowed us to add an experienced pitcher to our starting group. Drew took the ball 30 times last season, threw over 175 innings and is a proven performer in the American League. He's a good fit for our club."
Smyly, 27, established career-highs last season with 30 starts, 175.1 innings and 167 strikeouts. He finished the season 7-12 with a 4.88 ERA (95 ER, 175.1 IP) with 167 strikeouts in 30 starts with Tampa Bay. Among left-handed pitchers last season, Smyly ranked 7th in fewest walks-per-9.0-innings with a mark of 2.52 (49 BB, 175.1 IP). Over his final 12 starts of the season, he was 5-1 with a 3.73 ERA (29 ER, 70.0 IP) after opening the year 2-11 with a 5.64 ERA (66 ER, 105.1 IP) in his first 18 starts. He recorded four double-digit strikeout games, a mark topped by only three American League pitchers: Boston's David Price (7), Detroit's Justin Verlander (7) and Tampa Bay's Chris Archer (6). He was one of 10 American League left-handers to make 30 starts and toss at least 175.1 innings last season.
In five Major League seasons with Detroit (2012-14) and Tampa Bay (2014-16), the left-hander is 31-27 with a 3.74 ERA (237 ER, 570.1 IP) with 552 strikeouts in 156 games, including 85 starts. He was originally selected by Detroit in the 2nd round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft and was traded to Tampa Bay as part of the David Price deal between the Tigers, Rays and Mariners on July 31, 2014.
Smith, 23, was acquired by Seattle from Atlanta in a trade earlier today. He made his Major League debut with the Braves in 2016, appearing in 72 games and hitting .238 (45x189) with 7 doubles, 4 triples, 3 home runs and 22 RBI while recording 16 stolen bases. He played all three outfield positions, appearing in center field (35 games), left field (22 games) and right field (1 game) and committing just 1 error and collecting 5 assists. In 8 combined games at AA and AAA prior to being called to the Majors last season, Smith hit .419 (13x31) with 2 doubles and 2 triples and swiped 4 bases. Smith was the Padres 5th round selection in the 2012 Draft. In his 5 minor league seasons, he combined to hit .297 (474x1598) and stole 233 bases in 413 games.
Vargas, 17, hit .242 (52x215) with 41 runs scored, 11 doubles, 7 home runs, 35 RBI, 32 walks and 2 stolen bases in 62 games during his rookie campaign with the DSL Mariners last season. He was signed as an International Free Agent on July 2, 2015.
Yarbrough, 25, was named Southern League Pitcher of the Year after going 12-4 with a 2.95 ERA (42 ER, 128.1 IP) in 25 starts with AA Jackson in 2016. The left-handed pitcher was the Mariners 4th round selection in the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Old Dominion University. In three minor league seasons with Seattle, Yarbrough went 16-13 with a 3.09 ERA (92 ER, 267.2 IP) in 61 games, 57 starts.