Mariners lose Triple-A lefty Moran in Rule 5 Draft

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Mariners passed with their pick (the sixth overall) in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, but they lost left-handed reliever Brian Moran to the Blue Jays in the same phase.

Moran was then traded by Toronto to the Angels in exchange for international bonus slot money.

The 25-year-old Moran, a seventh-round Draft pick of Seattle out of the University of North Carolina in 2009, made 48 appearances for Triple-A Tacoma this year, pitching to a 3.45 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He struck out 85 and walked 20 in 62 2/3 innings.

Moran has been added to the Angels' 40-man roster and will have to remain on the club's 25-man roster the entire season or first be offered back to the Mariners before being optioned or outrighted.

The Angels got their hands on another Seattle prospect in the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft, taking right-hander Jose Valdivia off Seattle's Class A Everett roster. The Mariners did not participate in this phase.

Valdivia went 5-4 with a 4.51 ERA in 42 games, including 12 starts, in his first four professional seasons with the Mariners.