The Mariners and Rays have announced a three-for-three trade that sends infielder/outfielder Brad Miller, first baseman Logan Morrison, and reliever Danny Farquhar from Seattle to Tampa in exchange for righty Nate Karns, lefty C.J. Riefenhauser, and minor league outfielder Boog Powell.
With the trade, new Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto has made a striking first major move. The key piece, of course, is the 27-year-old Karns, who put up a solid 147-inning campaign last year, working to a 3.67 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. He’ll bring ample, cheap control with him to the Mariners, even if he regresses (and/or fails to progress). Evaluative statistics such as SIERA (3.90) were not terribly high on his first complete big league season, though he’d still be quite a productive asset if he pitches at that level. It’s worth noting that Karns was shut down late in the year with a mild forearm strain, though he also obviously passed a medical exam since the trade is now official.
Seattle also gets Riefenhauser, a 25-year-old southpaw. He has yet to do much of use in the big leagues (6.30 ERA in twenty innings), but has put up stellar run prevention numbers in the upper minors.
And Powell is not an inconsequential piece of the deal, either. He had been rated 13th on MLB.com’s list of the best Tampa Bay prospects. That publication credited him for excellent plate discipline and on-base skills, as well as solid defensive versatility across all three outfield positions. Powell, 22, slashed a productive .295/.385/.392 while splitting time evenly between Double-A and Triple-A (though he was better at the lower-level stop).
Prying Karns loose required Dipoto to part with some appealing assets. Miller, a talented 26-year-old, won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2019 season. He had been unable to hold down the everyday shortstop job with the M’s but did product an above-average (when park-adjusted) batting line of .258/.329/.402 last year. He also contributed 11 home runs and 13 steals. Miller has some experience in the outfield (as well as at second and third), and figures to be a versatile piece for Tampa. Defensive metrics are not fond of his work in center field, though they have viewed him as an average (1.9 career UZR) to slightly below-average (-9 career Defensive Runs Saved) fielder at short.
Morrison has had his ups and downs, and didn’t exactly light the world on fire at the plate last year with a .225/.302/.383 slash and 17 home runs over 511 plate appearances. But he has shown more at times, including in 2014, and ought to provide a first base/DH option for the Rays. He is projected by MLBTR to earn $4.1MM in his final season of arbitration eligibility.
Farquhar, 28, is another interesting player. He has shown the ability to put up big strikeout totals out of the pen, racking up double-digit K-per-nine tallies in both 2013 and 2014 and contributing 71 innings of 2.66 ERA ball in the latter of those seasons. But he struggled badly last season, dropping back to 8.5 K/9 while permitting 5.12 earned runs per nine in his 51 frames. Farquhar was more effective in Triple-A, though he tallied 38 innings at that level, making for rather a heavy usage over the course of the year.
For the Mariners, Karns will obviously slot into a rotation that figured to be in need of at least one or two more arms with Hisashi Iwakuma hitting the open market. He fits the profile — young, controllable, power arm — of the pitchers that Dipoto had been busy adding with the Angels. It’s unclear as of yet whether the addition of Karns will impact the team’s efforts to bring back Iwakuma.
Meanwhile, parting with Miller and LoMo takes away two regular contributors from last year’s Seattle roster, though it also frees up the payroll commitment that the latter would have required. The team could go with highly-regarded prospect Ketel Marte and/or the still-young Chris Taylor at short. Slugger Mark Trumbo sits atop the first base depth chart for now, but he’s projected to take home a $9.1MM arb payday before hitting the open market after the season. The resurgent Jesus Montero, who also hits from the right side, represents another option at the position. And it’s still possible to imagine the club exploring the free agent and trade markets for an upgrade.
On the Tampa Bay side of things, Karns was one of several quality young starters on the staff, which can still run out Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Drew Smyly, Matt Moore, and Erasmo Ramirez. (Ramirez, of course, came to the Rays in yet another trade with the Mariners last winter.) Alex Cobb will eventually re-join that group, which will ultimately be supplemented by other promising pitchers who are rising through the ranks.
Miller joins Logan Forsythe and another former Mariner, Nick Franklin, in the middle infield mix. (While Forsythe thrived last year, Franklin scuffled in the majors — though he put up good numbers during his time at Triple-A.) It’s certainly possible that Miller will step in at short for the departing Asdrubal Cabrera, though Tim Beckham and (eventually) Daniel Robertson could also factor there.
Adding Morrison is certainly an interesting element of this trade. He’s not exactly cheap for the budget-conscious Rays, who are losing DH John Jaso to free agency. But he could be a better value proposition than the team might’ve found on the open market. It’s also possible to imagine him stepping in at first base if the club tries to find a taker for James Loney and some of his $8MM salary.
This was not the first trade for several of the names involved in tonight’s deal. Karns went to the Rays from the Nationals before the 2014 season in exchange for a package that included Jose Lobaton, Felipe Rivero, and Drew Vettleson. That same winter, the Mariners added Morrison from the Marlins in a swap for righty Carter Capps. Powell was a part of last winter’s Ben Zobrist/Yunel Escobar deal. And Riefenhauser has changed hands several times, by way of trade and waiver claim.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
danray13
Good move but Rays will regret trading boog Powell
Andyman516
maybe the only high light in the trade…maybe…
gorav114
I know, can’t believe they gave up a cheap team controlled starter AND Boog. The Rays got hosed, their return is failed pieces. Change of scenery doesn’t work when the new scenery is the Trop.
seamaholic 2
So, so wrong. Rays did very well here. Miller is highest value player in deal by far.
User 4245925809
Agree. Miller fits the mold of all around, decent gloved utility profile that Tampa so likes and all it cost them was a SP that most feel is a kid that most feel is bound to regress next season and an slash/no power OF prospect. They also got back one of the key setup men from Seattle’s 2014 pen who had some off and on arm issues last season in Farquhar. Again fits the league profile of a hard throwing power pitcher, with a nasty sinking FB and cutter that appears same.
Lomo is/was a non tender candidate from Seattle. His glove was Hanley Ramirez level in LF and half a step better at 1b. No idea why TB wanted him, unless they think can discover some magic from his partial rookie season in him, like they found in Loney for 1 and a half seasons and Casey Kotchman, only difference was LoMo’s was a fluke to begin with.
Rest of TB’s pieces they got made sense, LoMO did not unless M’s asked them to take him off their hands for some odd reason.
myaccount
LoMo’s glove is better than half a step better at 1B. I don’t know what the metrics say but he was an extremely reliable, consistent defender with an extremely unreliable, inconsistent bat. Probably will contribute the least of the incoming Rays players though.
kabashii099
LoMo’s glove was not that bad but the problem not that great either, the problem is there was a log jam at first and looking at his numbers with the bat compared with trumbo, trumbo was much better at making contact, getting on base, also the players the Ms get back are cheaper and under control longer, I think that was more of the deciding factor as the M’s rebuild on the fly and will try to contend in 2016
A'sfaninUK
And we’re off!!!
Andyman516
Wow, platoon players for pitching and a prospect outfielder…hmmm..what are they thinking..doesn’t look like a win, win trade…we’ll have to wait and see how Dipotos first trade pans out..good luck to Miller and Lomo…hope it works out for all
A'sfaninUK
Miller is pretty good as a Zobrist-type player and Karns has potential as a solid #3 or #4 – its basically those dudes as the centerpieces and the others are throw-ins. It’s a decent move for both sides.
Also – the wrong Boog Powell is linked.
pallencollins
Is Boog Powell the grandson of former O’s great Boog Powell who must be in his 70’s now?
Andyman516
Wow…Dipito’s first wade in…hope it’s not a blunder
ryan211
I suppose you can tell the Mariners have a new GM because they are actually trading *away* a 1B/DH type instead of stockpiling more and more of them.
gorav114
That’s funny
LongoforLife
Like the deal for the rays. Miller gives us a solid SS, which is quite the relief since I feared we’d let Beckham take the reins. Farquhar is coming off a bad year, but hopefully Hickey can get him back to his nice 2014 season. Karns is a nice starter, but with several guys coming back from Tommy John this year (Cobb, Smith) and Blake Snell’s emergence, he was expendable
Phillies2017
The way I break this down is
Farquhar for Reifenhauser
LoMo for Powell
Miller for Karns
I dont get it from Tampas perspective. They fill a void left by Jaso, but Karns is a solid innings eater who is cost controlled and Powell is a legit prospect. Farquhar is decent, but hes streaky and Miller is a utility player. Seattle wins big here.
A'sfaninUK
Powell is not a legit prospect, at all. He has one tool: being able to draw a walk. He’s bad at stealing bases and has no power or defense. Miller is the best player in the trade by far, Karns is behind him.
bluejayseveryday
Powell is an above average hitter and runner. On the Rays 30 prospect list he is rated #13 and on a 20-80 scale has 55 hitting and 55 running.
A'sfaninUK
55 isn’t good unless like, everything is 55. He’s still a non-prospect and shouldn’t lauded as much as people are in this thread. Miller is the best player by far, how is everyone underrating him and overrating Powell? Crazy talk.
disgruntledreader 2
Boog Powell is Jaff Decker with less power. And for the 96% of baseball fans who don’t recognize Jaff Decker’s name… that’s kinda the point.
Out of place Met fan
Agree, 13th ranked prospect in an organization isn’t saying much. Rays filled 3 holes in one shot and kept the best of their young arms
bluejayseveryday
Tampa has plenty of pitching and no offense. Here they get a young shortstop that can hit .250 with 15 homers, 50+ RBI’s and 15 Stolen bases in a full season. And Morrison who can hit 20+ homers in a season but who will probably only hit .230 or so. To me it makes plenty of sense and I think each team achieved a need.
gobraves46
Nice trade for both teams.
bluejayseveryday
Intresting move. Karns is a pretty legit pitcher after this season. Cool! Is miller the new shortstop and Morrison the new DH? Good trade for both teams.
jordsmac26
Yeah looks like that’s how it will be. Although I wouldn’t rule out Lomo at 1B Loney should be on the free market with Shaffer and Morrison.
R.D.
Love this deal for Seattle. Really keeps the rotation from thinning out should Iwakuma not return. Felix/Karns/Paxton/Walker/Elias looks pretty nice moving forward.
Miller and LoMo seem like very Tampa Bay players but seems they’ll regret trading both Karns and Powell to me. Seems like a low return for Karns in particular.
seamaholic 2
Seattle should have been able to get a back of the rotation starter for less than their starting, pre-arb SS. Attracting pitchers to Safeco should not be hard. Not an awful trade for Seattle but an odd one. Love for Tampa.
R.D.
You must be a lot higher on Miller than me. He hasn’t given any indication that he’s more than replacement level since AAA in 2013 until this year and isn’t a good enough fielder to make up for that.
seamaholic 2
He’s had a 2 WAR season at the big league level and is only 25.
rolo
He clearly has upside, but there is a stigma with failed prospects in Seattle and holding onto them for too long
Andyman516
too many errors at ss, and outfield, but can hit for power
disgruntledreader 2
If the new Mariners brain thinks Nate Karns is a #2 starter, it’s going to be a long decade for Mariners fans.
sigurd 2
Seems lopsided towards the mariners. Mostly expendable pieces for a promising rotation arm and a nice prospect.
A'sfaninUK
Miller is by far the best player in the deal. Karns had a 4.09 FIP, he’s ok but Miller is by far more valuable (and younger). Powell is terrible, please can everyone stop calling him a prospect.
Brixton
A .300 hitter with solid defense in CF is ‘terrible?’
Even if Karns only had a 4.09 FIP, hes going to go to the biggest park in the AL plus hes only entering his 2nd full year.
A'sfaninUK
His defense is not “solid”, he already has a drug suspension under his belt and he’s not a “.300 hitter” – he hit .257 at AAA last year. All he knows how to do is take walks and get caught stealing an absurd amount of times.
Karns will be ok in Seattle, he won’t have a higher WAR than Miller though.
Turtle
Powell hit .257 in 206 at bats in AAA as a 22-year-old. He has slashed .295/.385/.392 for his career and never repeated a level. He has walked 163 times and struck out 95. There is value in that. Yes, his stolen base percentage of .588 is horrendous, especially for someone with his speed.. The drug suspension is a black mark. My take is that the kid can hit, get on base and has potential to be a contributor at the MLB level.
harmony55
Steamer projects a 2016 fWAR of 0.8 in only 13 starts for Nate Karns and a 2016 fWAR of 1.5 in 564 plate appearances for Brad Miller. Prorate the projected fWAR for 13 starts to 30 starts.
JT19
Miller is younger by 13 months, thats not a crazy age difference where his age automatically makes him more valuable. While I’m not saying Karns is going to be a stud, pitching in Safeco should help his numbers a bit too and is arguably more valuable since he’s still unproven and is cost controlled for a couple more years. Also Powell might not be a prospect in your eyes but the Mariners need a CF and guys who can get on base, which he checks off at. If he can manage to get on base a decent rate and not be a complete dud on defense then thats fine. Its not like theyre giving up a superstar for him, the trade is literally depth/filler guys for depth/filler guys
TheMichigan
Mariners trade for a guy who retired in 1977?
Anonymous 6
The comeback can strike anyone
NorahW I.
Haha, they need to fix that link. Probably his grandson!
ballardmariners
Glad we got something for LoMo!
mrminks
with the emergence of ketel marte, miller was expandable, and with trumbo and montero so was morrison
Brixton
Miller takes over for Cabrera
LoMo takes over for Jaso
They probably feel like they can fix Farquhar
They also probably felt Karns was expendable considering they’ll have Archer, Odorizzi, Ramirez, Smyly, Moore, Snell, and Colome.
skrockij89
Wonder if they trade Taylor or use him as competition for Marte. Ketel looked promising at SS. Can see the M’s going after Fowler at CF.
The Oregonian
Probably they’ll use Taylor as a backup plan since they’d be pretty thin at the position now without him, plus his value slipped a bit this year. Agreed that Fowler would be a good fit for them.
rolo
Factoring in draft pick compensation, I hope they pass on Fowler. I cross my fingers for Gutierrez’s health… what could have been 🙁
jgmcd2
To be honest I love this trade for the Mariners. They’re tried to be way too power oriented with a stadium comparable to the Royals where it is a pitchers park. LoMo and Trumbo serve the same function although Trumbo is more valuable. Miller is more of a power hitter and Marte has great contact skills.
Mariners should be building they’re team around speed, contact and power pitching. This trade nets them all of those things, Boog Powell had been praised for plate discipline and contact rate. Hmm…sound familiar? Exactly what helped the royals win the World Series. Advantage Seattle.
JT19
This actually has some potential to be a win-win trade for both teams.
Rays get a potential starter and bridge to Robertson in Miller, get a nice DH option for one year in LoMo and if they can help Farquhar get back to his 2014 self then the trade would’ve been a huge win for the Rays.
Mariners get some pitching depth in Karns, a potential prospect in Powell to solve their CF hole if not this year then maybe next and cut salary while getting something of value in return for Miller and LoMo rather than letting them walk at the end of the year.
LarsLap
I like to move for Seattle. Some solid 2016 spare parts for a cost controlled 3/4 starter and some potential.
seamaholic 2
Karns is not a #3. He’s a back of the rotation piece with bad peripherals and is 28 already. He should do fine in Safeco, but they could have gotten his production from a lot of different guys, including any of a dozen or so free agents. Then they could have used Miller, their best trade chip with Marte emerging as the SS, for a CF or something they really need.
The Oregonian
They can still sign one of Fowler or Span, Iwakuma, and a pen piece and call it an offseason, really.
twitchwashere 2
#NoOffseason
everlastingdave
We live in a world where the Mariners make smart moves now. This will take some getting used to.
seamaholic 2
Really nice deal for the Rays. Miller is clearly the marquee guy here — a pre-arb shortstop with major league average bat, some upside and big-time prospect cred, those guys are hard to find. Karns is a nice back of the rotation pitcher, but those are relatively easy to find for a team in a pitcher’s park like, well, either of these teams. Rest of the deal mildly favors Seattle but Farquhar has been quite good at times. Like it a lot for Tampa.
Means Loney’s very much on the block.
stillmatic
Honestly, I’m shocked Silverman was able to pull this off.
commercecomet7
I think last years Farq will be next years as well, Miller a bit streaky both with bat and glove. An upgrade in athleticism in the outfield a priority . LoMo a good guy but not the answer.
jaysfan1994
Loney’s making $9,666,667 in 2016 according to baseball-reference.
jordsmac26
Good trade for both teams. But think Miller is best player in the trade and a nice get for the Rays. Karns is a No 4 starter on most teams who was out of the rotation in Tampa.
baronbeard
This move tends to benefit both teams. Karns had no spot on the Rays. Especially when he was put in the bullpen at the end of the season. And I feel like he knew he’d face the fate Hellickson did. He had flashes of good stuff. But on a staff like Tampa, and the guys waiting, his hand may have been dealt. Riefenhauser has the same problem, as well Powell. And these are all pieces Seattle needs.
Tampa fills areas of need. The bullpen gets a reclamation project similar to Rodney and others before him that had always turned out well for them. They get a guy that can mash at a mid level, and has average defense in Lomo. And Miller sounds like the type of guy the team needs at SS. I dig it for Tampa.
NatKingCole45
When the Rays look to move Loney, the Pirates should attempt to bring him in to platoon with Mike Morse.
SixFlagsMagicPadres
And the offseason has begun…
Interesting trade for both teams. It seems pretty balanced with Miller and Karns being the main pieces.