Barely twelve hours removed from acquiring outfielder Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays, the Seattle Mariners and Jerry Dipoto are back with another trade. Seattle has acquired right-handed reliever Yimi García from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Jonatan Clase.
For Seattle
Yimi García is a very nice add for a Mariners bullpen that has found itself surprisingly thin down the stretch. He’s pitched to a 2.70 ERA and a 2.64 FIP this season. Garcia has logged 30 innings this season and is boasting the highest K/9 of his career (12.60). He ranks 12th in baseball in K/9 in terms of relievers with at least 30 innings pitched. Better still, his 29.6% K-BB ratio ranks 7th among the same candidate pool. He should immediately insert into the backend of the Mariners bullpen and should compliment high-leverage specialist Andres Munoz nicely toward the end of games.
Of note, Garcia has pitched just twice since returning from the IL after suffering a nerve issue in his right elbow during a save opportunity against Cleveland on June 16. Those two appearances went off without a hitch and Garcia actually averaged his highest average fastball velocity since late April on Wednesday at 97.5 mph.
Seattle’s bullpen has largely ranked in the top-third of the sport this season but has wavered a bit in recent weeks. With a lack of offense in Seattle the team figures to play in a number of close games down the stretch. Adding to their tired a tested bullpen seemed like a foregone conclusion entering the trade deadline.
Garcia is a rental and will become a free agent at the end of the season.
For Toronto
Clase, 22, ranked as our no. 11 prospect in the Mariners organization in preseason rankings and was set to rank no. 15 in the post-deadline midseason rankings. He made his major league debut this spring and is currently running a .195/.233/.220 slash in 43 plate appearances with the big league club. He’s been far more productive at Triple-A Tacoma where he boasts a .274/.373/.483 line with ten homers and 34 stolen bases.
The book on Clase is speed and sneaky thump. He’s still on the younger side but is physically maxed and does not figure to grow into much more physical tools. He’s a muscled-up corner outfielder with solid bat speed when he’s able to get to it in games. He projects a fourth outfielder in the big leagues with 60- to 70-grade speed that will undoubtedly play on the bases. He’s been a steal merchant throughout his minor league career as evidenced by the 79 bags he took in 2023. Clase has a ways to go in terms of defensive instincts and eye-test comfort in the outfield. His speed does make up for some noticeable warts in the routes department. The hit tool will ultimately dictate how high Clase’s role can climb. At times he looks overmatched, but with more seasoning and exposure to big league pitching Clase may grow more comfortable with what he’s seeing on a nightly basis. The hope would be that unlocks an average hit tool and the ability to get his ‘A-Swing’ off more consistently whilst projecting toward the back-third of a lineup.
The Blue Jays appear sunk in the playoff race in 2024 and changes needed to be made. They will be without Kevin Kiermaier (retirement) in 2025 and George Springer has lost a step too. Clase gives the Blue Jays options in the field and late in games and could ultimately blossom into a solid Role 5 position player if given the time and reps necessary to succeed.
The Mariners will also send catcher Jacob Sharp, 22, to the Blue Jays in the deal. Sharp was a 17th round selection in the 2023 Draft and is currently running a .255/.339/.435 slash at Class-A Modesto. Sharp has solid bat-to-ball skills and the ability to stick behind the plate going forward.
Trading Garcia all but signals to the league the Blue Jays’ intention to sell expiring contracts this deadline.
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