2017 is barely a week old, and already Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto has been busy reshaping the roster to break the Mariners’ playoff drought. After a 2016 season where the Mariners almost broke through, Dipoto made a splash early in the offseason acquiring Jean Segura from the Arizona Diamondbacks to shore up the top of the order. In two separate deals on Friday, Dipoto added SP Yovani Gallardo from the Baltimore Orioles and OF Jarrod Dyson from the Kansas City Royals.
Why Gallardo? Although it was mostly due to injuries, the Seattle Mariners did not have a stable rotation in 2016. Wade Miley was brought in from Boston, but he ended up getting moved at the trading deadline. Nathan Karns, another trade acquisition from Tampa Bay, struggled after a fast start and was moved to the bullpen before injuries shut down his 2016. In Gallardo, the Mariners added a veteran arm who can eat innings. It’s a bit of a gamble as Gallardo struggled with the Orioles last season posting career highs in ERA (5.48) and WHIP (1.58). However, not counting 2016, he has made at least 30 starts from 2009-2015. He also has had success in the A.L. West going 13-11 with a 3.42 ERA for the Texas Rangers in 2015. Gallardo looks to be the No. 4 starter going into Spring behind Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, and James Paxton.
Why Dyson? Dyson adds two important things to the Mariners: speed and defense. He had 19 defensive runs saved as an OF last season, good enough for 6th in the A.L. among OFs. He also has 176 career stolen bases, over triple of the next closest Mariner (Kyle Seager with 41). He batted .278 last season, and he instantly adds to a 1-2 punch at the beginning of the line-up with Segura setting the table for the 3-4-5 of Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, and Seager. With Dipoto’s moves, the line-up instantly becomes a bigger offensive threat.
The Cost of the Trades. The Seattle Mariners lost Seth Smith and Karns in the two deals. Smith was a solid veteran bat for the Mariners, but they needed to trade him to shore up the rotation which was a bigger problem before Friday’s moves. This also opens the door for a young OF the Mariners are very high on, Ben Gamel. Gamel came over to the Mariners late in the season from a trade with the New York Yankees. Karns, like I mentioned earlier in the article, lost his starting rotation spot in 2016, and he would’ve been competing for the No. 4 or 5 spot in Spring Training. Gallardo is a safer bet on paper, and he makes the rotation less of an unknown going into 2017.