The Rangers have acquired minor league shortstop Andres Mesa from the Mariners as the player to be named later from last December’s Rafael Montero trade. The two parties had until tomorrow to agree on the player involved, as PTBNLs must be determined within six months of a trade’s completion. Mesa has been assigned to the Rangers’ affiliate in the Dominican Summer League.
Mesa, 18, was signed as an international prospect in the summer of 2019, landing a $500K bonus from the Mariners. He’s yet to play in an official game with the Mariners yet thanks to lack of any minor league competition in 2020. At the time of his signing, Baseball America’s Ben Badler called Mesa a plus runner with a “huge” arm and the athleticism to handle an up-the-middle position, be it shortstop, second base or center field.
Mesa becomes the second member of the Mariners 2019-20 international class to join the Rangers as part of the deal. Seventeen-year-old righty Jose Corniell was announced to be part of the trade at the time of the swap, and he currently ranks as the Rangers’ No. 29 prospect at MLB.com. That both players acquired are so young and so far from MLB readiness is a reflection of the younger direction the Rangers have taken over the course of the past year.
The acquisition of Montero hasn’t gone as well as the Mariners would’ve hoped. The former Mets top prospect was quite good in a resurgent showing with Texas from 2019-20, pitching to a combined 3.09 ERA with a hefty 28.9 percent strikeout rate and a tiny 5.9 percent walk rate. He’s sitting on a 5.21 ERA through 28 2/3 frames as a Mariner, and while a pair of rough outings in particular skew that ERA, the overall results have taken a dive from Montero’s 2019-20 levels. He’s striking out far fewer batters and issuing more walks, which have combined to offset an overwhelming uptick in ground-ball rate.
Montero isn’t giving up much in the way of hard contact, and fielding-independent numbers are more bullish on him than that bottom-line ERA, so there’s still some hope of a turnaround. He’s also controlled into the 2022 season via arbitration, so if he is ultimately able to right the ship, he has some value to the Mariners beyond the current campaign.
compassrose
Why couldn’t we give them Montero back as the PTBNL? So far this kid has more upside. I know it can change but his blown save the other day was awful. Should have sent Graveman back out. Yes I know he just activated and wasn’t as sharp as he has been but still looked better. Servias should have pulled Montero.
One of the worst part of the wins and losses is the RP can come in and blow a save the next inning his team comes back and wins he gets rewarded for blowing the lead that most likely was the SPs win. No problem with the last guy getting the save but the win could go to the Pitcher before him or SP. It could also be a team win. Will screw with records from the past but still more fair to the pitcher/pitchers who did their jobs.
Michael Chaney
This is why pitcher wins are a pointless stat. Welcome to the resistance, comrade.
JNG800
Montero was a huge prospect with impeccable control as a Met minor league prospect. He was brought up with great fanfare, but became a nibbler. The K/BB ratio tumbled. A lesser known call up named deGrom took his starting slot….
ayrbhoy
Compass- the “Vulture win” in that BS/Win scenario is one of my least favorite statistical scoring quirks.
I also hate the inherited runner scoring system. Case in point in Luis Castillo’s last start v MIL he had one of his best outings this year. He had a 1 Hitter (1ER) through 4 1/3 inn. After a 45 minute rain delay he finishes the 5th inn. In the 6th inn he was pulled at two outs despite still having a 97 mph fb and an electric changeup. He left 2 runners on base due to BB’s but he had still yet to give up a second Hit. Come to think of it maybe Dipoto or Servais called w a directive to their dugout!
Instead of letting him get out of the inn CIN decides to (listen to JD and Servais) bring in a RP. Of course the reliever let both runners score and my H2H category fantasy team gets dinged by a 4.76 ERA instead of a 1.50 ERA. Stupid rule. Pfft
zoinksscoob
To be generous, Montero has been a dumpster fire in Seattle… and Servais continues to put him out there in high-to-medium leverage situations. He should have a label on him: “Us only in the event of blowout.” Dipoto has to trade or DFA him or Servais will keep using him. Kinda like Billy Beane trading Carlos Pena so Art Howe would have to use Scott Hatteberg at 1B.
Chester Copperpot
Servais’ use of him is a direct order from Dipoto. Shannon Drayer has gone over all of this. Servais’ implements their pitching plan, he does NOT make in game decisions. They are all pre-determined.
ayrbhoy
Scoob- You get what you pay for…..
2020 Brian Shaw was a dumpster fire in Bangladesh. Last years Yacabonis and Erik Swanson were also refuse fires. Across the last two months Montero has hardly been a dumpster fire in every outing. I’d say he’s more a raccoon coming into your garbage then spilling it onto your driveway.
There have been outings where he showed us why we traded for him. How many of his bad outings have we seen him quickly get to just one single pitch away from getting out of the inn only to become so afraid of pitching to contact he begins to nibble. He has good stuff!
He’s had a few really bad outings (which RP doesn’t?) but he’s also been victim to a ton of bad luck. Fluke errors, bloop hits and weak hits have all visited Raffy Montero more than any other pitcher on our staff not named Yusei Kikuchi. Montero has the talent to get his Era+ and WHIP back down to respectable numbers. Let’s watch the ups and downs throughout the season then see what we have at the end of Sept.
madmanTX
It seems like a lot of past players have kicked butt in Arlington and then stunk it up when they left for the coasts. CJ Wilson, Rick Honeycutt, Josh Hamilton, Kenny Rogers…to name a few.
TJECK109
If you are going to make a comment like this can you at least put in the effort to come up with players who have played in the MLB in the last 5 years?
Bil522
Have the Rangers had any players in the last 5 years?
Sonny 3
Cashner did good when he was a Ranger. Give him a shot in the bullpen.
hoof hearted
So far Montero and Middleton are providing a big fat stinky #two in Mariners bullpen
missjill2u
I think Middleton’s done a good job until his last two outings? Or is this my dementia talking. Middleton will be back with a tune up. I’m one of the Montero makes me nervous as %#^* EVERY time he comes out of the bullpen. The last fiasco was the last last last straw
ayrbhoy
Good news on your dementia- the FDA recently approved an Alzheimer’s drug designed to slow cognitive design. Serious note….Middleton had a rocky first couple outings in ST then excelled. Same in the first two months of this season: a couple of bad outings. You’re right in thinking he had a long stretch of good consistent performance. Surely you recall he was put into the committee of closers in Gravy’s absence.
Middleton’s last couple of outings were garbage but I wonder how much of that horrific LAA beat down and subsequent demotion was down to his lack of focus from his beef with the LAA fans. I can’t imagine Dipoto, Servais, the coaches and even some of his (inc a couple veteran) teammates were too pleased with his (unprofessional?) reaction to the LAA fans above the visitors dugout. Maybe I’m reading way too much into that? If the fans are provoking such an intense reaction after the inning I’d imagine it would be hard to keep them out of your focus from pitch to pitch.
JNG800
Montero was a huge prospect with impeccable control as a Met minor league prospect. He was brought up with great fanfare, but became a nibbler. The K/BB ratio tumbled. A lesser known call up named deGrom took his starting slot….
SodoMojo90
Can we just cut him already? He is absolute garbage and Scott Servais is in love with putting him in with leads so that he can continuously blow them. Montero is horrible and then it’s even more horrible when you have a manager that has absolutely no clue on how to manage a bullpen. I’d be totally fine with him getting canned solely based on his lack of bullpen managing skills. How many times do you have to watch a guy blow a game before you realize it’s not working out? I’m tired of screaming at my TV every time he comes into a game.
lovableschmuck
Montero’s on pace to break the single season record for blown saves.Servais must be going for the record.
bus035
Why does Dipoto keep giving up young high upside pitchers for useless veterans? We have now traded Paul Fry, Freddy Peralta, Pablo Lopez, Ryan Yarbrough for International money for Ohtani which didn’t materialize, Adam Lind, & 2 players that never pitched for the M’s….. David Phelps & Drew Smyly.
It would not shock me at all if Corniell turns into a legit Prospect & Montero never bounces back to near ‘20 form. The agony of being an M’s fan.
Painful itch
The reason this team had success early was the bullpen. And it’s crumbling now for sure. Make a move already and fix this. You know where the problem is.
Chester Copperpot
Meh. The real problem area is GM. Dipoto’s stated off-season goal was to improve the bullpen. He brought in several new arms (Montero, Middleton, Vest, etc) & and touted some returning ones (MIs).
The bullpen has been a disaster. Once again, offering evidence that Dipoto cannot supplement a mlb roster effectively… which is pretty much the main function of his job. It’s past time to show him the door,
ronc52
The bullpen has hardly been a disaster. Seattle is ranked 11th among major league bullpens in WHIP and 18th in ERA. Not great…but not a disaster either. More like lukewarm.