The Mariners announced the acquisition of infielder Luis Urias from the Red Sox. Reliever Isaiah Campbell is headed to Boston in a one-for-one swap.
Urias, 26, was a consensus top-30 prospect in baseball entering the 2019 season. However, the infielder struggled in limited playing time with the Padres and was shipped to Milwaukee in the deal that brought Trent Grisham to San Diego. While Urias struggled through the shortened 2020 season with the Brewers, slashing just .239/.308/.294 while appearing in 41 of the club’s 60 games. Fortunately for Milwaukee, however, Urias broke out during his age-24 season and proceeded to be an above average regular for the Brewers over the next two seasons.
From 2021-22, Urias posted a .244/.340/.426 slash line across 1042 trips to the plate while playing strong defense at shortstop, second base, and third base to anchor the club’s infield alongside Willy Adames. The Brewers entered 2023 figuring to once again lean on Urias as a steady presence on the dirt but the 26-year-old was bit by the injury bug before his season could properly begin, landing on the injured list with a hamstring strain just after Opening Day. Urias returned in early June but struggled badly at the plate, slashing a brutal .145/.299/.236 across 20 games with the club this season. That downturn in performance led the Brewers to swap Urias to the Red Sox at the deadline this year.
Urias was used as a depth option at second base by Boston, and hit acceptably in the role with a .225/.361/.337 slash line in 109 trips to the plate with the club down the stretch. While that performance was good for a roughly league average 98 wRC+, Urias was nonetheless viewed as a likely non-tendered candidate given his $4.7MM projected salary by MLBTR’s Matt Swartz. Fortunately for both Urias and the Red Sox, however, the Mariners were willing to take a shot on Urias returning to form in 2024.
Urias makes plenty of sense for a Mariners club that could use an upgrade to its second base mix, which currently features Josh Rojas and Dylan Moore. Urias figures to provide the club with a solid right-handed complement to Rojas and fellow lefty JP Crawford up the middle who can play capable defense all around the infield. If he’s able to regain his 2021-22 form, Urias could be in line for the lion’s share of starts at the keystone given Rojas’s tepid .245/.303/.338 slash line in 350 plate appearances between Arizona and Seattle this year.
In return for Urias’s services, the Red Sox acquired right-hander Isaiah Campbell. Campbell was a second-round pick by the Mariners in the 2019 draft and made his major league debut out of the bullpen for Seattle earlier this year. Across 28 2/3 innings of work with the Mariners, Campbell impressed with a 2.83 ERA and 3.32 FIP to go along with a solid 27.5% strikeout rate. Campbell’s success is all the more impressive for a prospect who skipped the Triple-A level entirely after 24 strong innings of work at the Double-A level this year. The 25-year-old figures to be an interesting bullpen piece for the Red Sox in 2024, particularly given the righty has options remaining that will allow the club to shuttle him between Triple-A and the majors if they so choose.
Alex Speier of the Boston Globe first reported the Mariners were acquiring Urias. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported the Red Sox were acquiring Campbell.
Fred Park
Okay!
all in the suit that you wear
I like it and I will like it even more if the Red Sox sent no cash. The Red Sox also non-tendered Wyatt Mills.
Dorothy_Mantooth
I’m officially impressed with Breslow now! He took a sure fire non-tender candidate in Urias and turned that into a solid RP with 5 years of control left. I’m surprised Seattle was willing to give up a quality, young relief pitcher for an expensive, potential bounce back candidate.
momTurphy
Campbell is a stud. Good guy who’ll be great in the community. Has some ugly minor league numbers, but is a warhorse who battled back from injuries and the Covid years. He’s got a perfect bullpen mentality where nothing will impact his approach. You got a good one.
Dorothy_Mantooth
@bistro – Campbell only had 3 years in the minors and all 3 seasons were well above average. Do you have him confused with someone else? The Mariners were so impressed with his minor league performance that he went from AA straight to the majors.
momTurphy
He was didn’t throw a pitch in his first 2 1/2 seasons in the minors. And got hurt again the first season back. Really looked done for pretty early on.
lee cousins
Seattle will take chances, remember they are cheap.
JoeBrady
So your theory here is that they are trading a cheaper player, for a more expensive player, because they are cheap.
lee cousins
Cheap is as cheap does.
okbud
Hard to imagine we got even a bucket of baseballs for that guy, thank you Dipoto.
seamaholic 2
Urias is a league average hitter for his career, who can play decently all over the infield. He may be the best player traded today.
FenwayFanatic
Jared Shuster, Mike Soroka, and Aaron Bummer are all better than Luis Urias easily.
Subatomicbunt
Yikes I really hope this guy is not considered “league average” at the plate.
giant_octopus
He’s a 99 career wRC+ hitter and projected for 100 next year.. Quite literally league average.
FenwayFanatic
Way worse last year than any other in his career.
yukongold
That is literally below average. If league average is 100, 99 is definitely below it.
giant_octopus
I hope you’re making fun of my misguided use of the word “literally” and not arguing there is any sort of substantive difference between a 100 career wrc+ hitter and a 99 career wrc+ hitter that’s projected for 100 the next season.
Sad_Sox
Maybe he was commenting based on the term “literally,” but honestly, most people don’t really understand numbers. I feel your pain.
kripes-brewers
Look at stats all day on this guy, go ahead. Then you watch him and ask wtf? Solid defense, good arm, unbelievably frustrating offensively.
RSmith
“unbelievably frustrating offensively”
Not sure what games youre watching, but, Urias’s career .713 OPS isnt bad for a good defensive middle infielder.
Remember, in 2023 he was injured to start the season, so he had to play catch-up by not playing until June. With a fresh start in 2024, he should have better numbers
Thank_God_Im_Not_Tim_Dierkes
Isaiah Campbell has the ability to be a high-leverage arm, and we just traded him for a guy expecting a raise on $4.7M coming off a -0.2 WAR season. What are you thanking him for exactly?! Spending all the available resources on contingency plans, redundant roster pieces, and bench bats so there is nothing left to spend on real players?!
This is the problem with Dipoto’s roster construction, he wants 3 WAR players at every position, but most players that are 3 WAR players are always riding the edge between good and barely relevant, making their results more volatile. This is why people found Khris Davis’ consistency so amazing, but just expected Trout to roll out MVP seasons.
The Mariners roster okay, good, and great at the same season. He thinks that by adding more depth, you’ll find a more consistent result offensively, but what he doesn’t understand is having dependable stars like Ohtani is what stabilizes a lineup. When you face the Dodgers nobody asks whether Freeman or Betts is on a hot streak, they know they are always capable of carrying the team.
Now look at the Mariners lineup, what versions are we going to get in 2024 of J.P., Suarez, France, Kelenic, Rojas, and Moore? Who are you sure will be a major contributor in next seasons lineup? Not confident, SURE! The only guys we are sure about is a defense first catcher with good power who ideally should miss 30 games if we have a good backup and Julio Rodriguez.
This doesn’t mean you ditch Kelenic and some of the other role players, but you need to add guys you know will be good and you don’t hoard pitching is a park that leans heavily pitcher. The model we should be using is develop our arms like Gilbert (who is really not that good if you look at his splits) and trade them for bats, then sign guys who can pitch anywhere, while building our lineup with controllable bats.
It’s also worth pointing out that Kelenic still has time to reach a Kyle Tucker level of impact going forward, which is why you give him some rope to get better. The Mariners, especially if they continue to run themselves like mid-market, need two or three star bats, and then back fill the rest of the roster with young players from their system and controllable bats like Rojas who can be added for nothing.
Stevil
I didn’t expect Campbell to make the active roster out of spring. They used him as selectively as possible and finding relievers hasn’t been an issue for Seattle.
Seattle’s most pressing needs were corner outfielder, DH, and closer–or at least another high-leverage arm. That wasn’t going to be Campbell.
But half their bullpen could be upgraded, It’s not not just bats they need, and if Jerry’s focus is going to be contact, I think there’s a good chance we see Urias at third. I’ll get back to that in a second.
I agree with your point about stars, but I don’t think this move was about depth. They had depth. There are more bench options than roster spots. There’s room for four, and with one going to a catcher, another an outfielder (very likely Canzone), that leaves room for just two more.. They could option Caballero, for example, but would they option players earning raises this year? Hard to imagine a cheap team doing that. It seems more likely that they’ll trade from this glut of infielders.
So, then you look who’s most likely to get moved. I can’t help but think Suárez is one of them. Seattle had the worst K% in baseball at 3B. His defense kept his value respectable, but this might be the time for Seattle to move on. I think they could sell high on Caballero as well. Though Ks weren’t a problem with him, I don’t think he’s more valuable than Moore or Haggerty. So, perhaps Urias has a bigger role coming than people realize. My guess is that a firm decision hasn’t been made yet.
Another thing to consider is that Seattle spent around 35 million more last season (40-man totals) than in 2022. They got 30 million from the Disney/BAMTech deal. You could argue that they didn’t really increase spending, so it’s fair to ask if they’ll actually cut the budget this year. Replacing Suárez with Urías would save them about 7m.
Anyway, there are certainly more moves to come. Hopefully we won’t see more halfassery.
Monkey’s Uncle
Ureally?
mlb fan
The Mariners should have just kept Adam Frazier and drafted a 2b, since Frazier’s better than the last couple of scrubs(Wong & Arias) they’ve acquired to replace him.
Mekias0
Frazier? Are we talking about the same guy? I guess he was better than Wong but so was every other second baseman last year.
Ben10
Dylan Moore, Sam Haggerty, Josh Rojas, Ryan Bliss, and now Urias. The M’s are forming the Ultimate platoon.
Stevil
And Caballero.
There’s likely a bigger move in the works involving an infielder or two.
It makes no sense to get a player like this for 2B, unless they intend to use a platoon at 3B.
Thank_God_Im_Not_Tim_Dierkes
No, you were 1/2 right, it makes no sense. Campbell was a medium/high-leverage arm with tons of control and we got back the right-handed version of Josh Rojas at 150% of the cost.
If we just brought back Murphy ($5M), as the backup catcher, and then use Caballero (min. $), Haggerty ($1-2M), and one of our LH 4th outfielders (Canzone, Marlowe, DeLoach, Trammell, etc.), to make up our bench, we’d have tons of speed and versatility, while paying less than $10M.
Dumping Geno and swapping him for Moore would save us $7.5M, dumping Urias because he’s trash would save us nearly $5M, and sending away France and Gonzales for a bucket of BP baseballs would save us another $20M (France = $7M+ & Gonzales $12M).
Total savings by dumping Suarez, France, Gonzales, and Urias is $35M, add $10M and you have Ohtani ($45.45M x 11 years=$500M), you then take the money saved from Teo ($14M) & Wong ($10M) and turn that into Bellinger ($200M/8 years=$25M annually). So far we’ve only gone up arbitration salaries and $1oM, just by dumping unneeded payroll.
Currently projected payroll prior to this is $122M ($155M Luxury Tax number), so adding $10M from Ohtani and $25M from Bellinger leaves us at $157M ($190M Luxury Tax number), and before anyone talks about the market size and all that crap. The Mariners were the most profitable team in 2022, their attendance increased in 2023, as it would with Ohtani and Bellinger in 2024, while they just increased ticket costs dramatically for next year.
The Mariners Luxury Tax number is about avoiding penalties, but it’s an abstract number, so as long as we don’t break through the imaginary ceiling, it really comes down to spendable money. The ceiling in 2024 is $237M, so even adding Snell as a free agent puts the Mariners at a Luxury Tax number of $210-215, which is well below the threshold. While their actual payroll would only be $177-180M, which is very affordable based on today’s payroll numbers.
momTurphy
They’ve drafted a dozen guys who could play 2B.
dbdmack
Frazier was awful in his one season in Seattle and it was nice to see him bounce back in Baltimore. There was NO reason to keep Frazier. Urias and Wong are both high ceiling guys. If Urias can make more contact at the plate, it could be a solid trde for the M’s.
FenwayFanatic
We already knew that, move on to more important news.
Pedro Martinez’s Mango Tree
Such as?
sfes
What exactly Pedro did with that 50 cents he had under the mango tree. Aah 2004, what a season.
sfes
@Pedro didn’t he tell the NY media to dig up the Babe so he could bean him in his ass in that interview?
Pedro Martinez’s Mango Tree
Nah that was a few years earlier
YankeesBleacherCreature
Are people really posting on Twitter one-half of trades now?
Redsoxx_62
Always gotta be the one to break the news… even if it’s only part of the news lol
YankeesBleacherCreature
“Ohtani signs for mid nine-figure sum with Mystery Team pending physical cited by anonymous insider.” Is that how it works? Follow me!
Cooperdooper7
And John Heyman was first to report it….. lol
FenwayFanatic
GREAT RETURN
Redsoxx_62
Yeah wow I didn’t think we’d get anyone who would help this year’s team
BabyBoyBlueDiamond
Awesome……. Another utility guy. Yayyyy… ugh. Another platoon, negative war guy. I guess we keep throwing crap to the wall to see what sticks.
SeaLVLA
It’s the same thing every year. Always looking for the bounce-back year. Frazier, Wong….now Urias. When will Jerry learn?
BuddyBoy
Frazier and were not bounce back guys. They just sucked after coming to Seattle.
Ben10
It’s that Marine layer air lol
AlwaysWright
Neither Wong or Frazier were picked up as bounce back candidates. What are you even talking about lol.
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
Not enthused.
good vibes only
We traded a good, basically free bullpen arm with a fantastic mustache for a more expensive bad 2b that was about to be non tendered. Yuck
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
Maybe it means Suarez is on the move. Urias is sort of like a Suarez-mini me…his 2021/22 seasons resemble Suarez-like numbers, at least offensively. Not sure about his glove. I really liked Campbell though and his back story, and when he had that slider working he looked filthy. But our pitching develop. can grow those guys like weeds , there will be others.
good vibes only
That would be bleak if this move is part of a move to replace Geno. Suarez is pretty average but he is a big part of the heart and soul of this team.. Not saying they shouldn’t find an upgrade if they can, but if they replace him with Luis Urias, boy that is depressing.
Zippy the Pinhead
Can Urias hit in cold, marine layer weather in April, May, and September? Because if he can’t, he’s just another good fielder to join the .175 club with half the hitters on the roster before June 1.
chaneyb
Spot on. The hitting conditions produced by the weather in those cold months have beaten down newly acquired hitters time and time again. The Mariners have to figure out how to beat those conditions if they’re ever going to field a consistent offensive team. And finding hitters who can perform in the cold can only be a benefit come October and November.
Rsox
Wouldn’t closing the roof help mitigate those conditions?
Sodo
You’d think that.. but with the way the stadium is built with openings in the outfield the roof just is a roof
good vibes only
The ball does seem to fly further with the roof on in my opinion but thats anecdotal experience rather than based on facts. Marine layer aside its cold as heck in there early season
DarkSide830
Great move by Breslow
MoneyBallJustWorks
Dipoto trying to patch up 2B hole with more garbage
SeaLVLA
This year’s Kolton Wong
dshires4
Garbage contact, platoon hitter for a solid reliever with 5 years remaining.
Dipoto….what the ******* are you doing?
Reynaldo
Major league relievers are a dime a dozen; 2Bs are not.
YankeesBleacherCreature
They could’ve signed IKF and kept Campbell.
hoof hearted
Exactly
Reynaldo
Just because you throw money at someone doesn’t mean they’ll sign with you. FAs are unpredictable; trades are not.
dshires4
Except Dipoto has shown that he doesn’t adequately value bullpen arms. The returns he gets for every one are subpar.
highheat
Not EVERY; the return for Paul Sewald was not bad at all.
dshires4
I don’t disagree with you, but it hinges on Ryan Bliss. That was a trade with a good process.
momTurphy
Partly because a 3.00 era in Seattle is equivalent to a 4.00 in Boston. Just like hitters look terrible when moving to Seattle, pitchers look great here. For example Joe Smith outpitched Kendall Graveman after they were swapped in 2021.
hoof hearted
Except for the fact of Seattle not having Sewald cost Sea a playoff spot.. after the trade, the bullpen failed.
xcfan
More like the demand on the bullpen increased after Hancocks injury and Woo and Miller hitting a wall after significantly surpassing their innings from the previous year. Unfortunately, that injury was after the trade deadline. They were counting on Hancock to take some of the load. If they could have predicted it, they would have added another starter.
momTurphy
If it wasn’t for an RBI single from Dominic Canzone before the trade, the mariners would have made the playoffs and the DBacks wouldn’t have….
chaneyb
Everyone blames the bullpen, but they remained a pretty solid, if less elite group after the trade. I think the Mariners went as Julio went last year, and Julio was meh from April-June, fantastic from July-August, and meh again in September. If he stays hot down the stretch, the Mariners make it. Ultimately, the offense just wasn’t deep enough.
good vibes only
They only weny as Julio did because the lineup depth. I love Cal but he cannot be batting #3 or even #4 really. If we have 1-2 better bats right there the lineup wouldnt be that far off from the Rangers.
YankeesBleacherCreature
Real headscratcher for the M’s. Campbell even skipped AAA ball and found success.
myaccount2
Absolutely a headscratcher, but nearly all of our prized pitching prospects skip or barely play in AAA because Dipoto believes pitching in the PCL hinders development.
good vibes only
Dipoto is correct in the PCL skip but yeah this is not good
xcfan
I expect Troy Taylor to have a similar fast track this year.
myaccount2
I could see them being aggressive with Taylor for sure. I also think they’ll give Jarod Bayless every opportunity to advance levels.
Bill the Cat
This is not gonna be a popular opinion based on previous commentors, but I really like this. Campbell was good for the M’s this year, but relievers are volatile, and the M’s seem to have the magic to replace his minimal (and admittedly effective) innings. Urias has as much upside as any 2B out there for the price they gave up. Good luck Isaiah, and welcome to the team Luis!
JJBird
Yes, Campbell was a reliever for us but very capable of being a long reliever or starter. Had season tix in Fayetteville and watched him start lots of games for Arkansas. He’s a freakin bulldog. We got another dime-a-dozen utility guy for a young, controllable arm. I think that’s a horrible trade.
good vibes only
Spot on. Luis Urias sucks and is like 6x as expensive when they are already making noises like they cant afford Shohei
SeaLVLA
So did Frazier. So did Wong. It seems like doing the same thing over and over hoping for a better result
Cooperdooper7
Urias has got to change his approach as a hitter.
mostlytoasty
did they cut Rojas? Him and Bliss have far more upside
Mekias0
Urias can be a decent player but he’ll be making like 5 million. Weird way for the M’s to spend money. There’s only so many spots on the team for 2B/3B types. Is Rojas the back up for Urias or the other way around? Maybe just a platoon again with Moore being super utility? Or possibly they really are looking at trading Suarez.
Fred Park
As for me, I was just overjoyed to finally see some Mariners news.
So I said Okay!
As for the real-life considerations involved, you nailed it here.
hoof hearted
Urias can provide more power. Rojas gets cut. Bliss gets invite to Ml camp in spring
chaneyb
If Rojas was getting cut it would have happened today
StrandedM'sFanInL.A.
Rojas was actually okay for us… it’s his splits that I hope he can fix…
Stevil
This tells me Seattle is likely going to move Suárez and probably Caballero or Haggerty.
They had one too many infielders before this deal.
SeaLVLA
Rojas, Cabby, Moore now Urias. The only way this makes any sense is if it’s a precursor move and something else follows.
Not impressed with Urias. I would’ve thought Campbell would have been a decent add-on piece in a bigger deal. Wait and see, I guess.
Primitive Screwhead
Dipoto overvalues positional flexibility, and undervalues contact hitting. The M’s field guys like Haggerty, Moore, Canzone, Hummel, Marlowe, Caballero… he constantly goes and gets these weak-ass bats who have played at least two positions.
It’s exhausting. Stop drawing to an inside straight Jerry: when it finally pays off after a jillion tries, I guarantee it will not have been worth it.
HBan22
Excellent trade for the Sox. Campbell has the chance to be a really solid reliever going forward.
bigdaddyhacks
This is just cabby replacement. Nice depth move.
JJBird
You’re crazy! A depth move? Why do we need more utility depth? These guys grow on trees. We gave up a pretty damned good young arm for more garbage.
thekid24ever
What in God’s name our we doing here???? You gave up a MLB bullpen piece that did well for us for someone who can’t hit water if they fell out of a boat. I mean….ugggggh. Dipoto loves his utility guys.
Fenway 1
Saw someone say this but the Sox traded urias#17 to open up #17 for a pretty well known free agent!
Gwynning
Raimel Tapia?
brooklyn62
A swap of need for both. Sox and M’s roll the dice and hope they get each player to perform at their peak. Low cost gamble with potential above average dividends.
StrandedM'sFanInL.A.
Roll the Dice??? Dude was Nails for us as a Mariner and only getting better!!! You maken it sound as if Campbell had a +4.00ERA!!! His approach to hitters was the best in our Pen… he went right after guys and after a Season to get Comfortable I expect him to be a High Leverage guy for the Sox… Horrible Trade by Dipoto!!!!
brooklyn62
2B has been the black hole for the M’s. M’s are a RP factory, they’ll develop some new bullpen arms in 2024
myaccount2
Do we really need more light-hitting utility guys? Campbell looked promising, too. I’m not a fan of this deal until convinced otherwise.
Stevil
Seattle may be gambling that he can rebound and take 3B.
Something has to give. They’re overloaded with right-handed hitting infielders.
myaccount2
I hate this gamble. We’re too competitive (and cheap) to keep taking shots on guys instead of spending money on bona-fide contributors.
Stevil
They’ll pay about 4.5 million to find out as well,
greg1
Anyone click on Baseball Reference to see who Campbell is? Why is up with his moustache?!
good vibes only
Fantastic mustache. Good middle reliever. Boston wins this one
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
Undoing the actions of Chaim Bloom…
solaris602
I’ll be happy if Breslow boldly makes the statement that Yu Chang will NOT be on the roster during his watch. Little things mean a lot.
cdouglas24000
Mariners just giving away players now. That was a stupid AF trade on their behalf
good vibes only
Facts
good vibes only
More of the same Dipoto platoon bat nonsense. This is a bad trade and money poorly spent. Why give up anything for a bad player about to be DFA. I really hope DKramer is wrong that the Mariners arent pursuing Shohei seriously but this lends more credence to that. So frustrating
The-Two-Germanys
After it all shakes out, Kramer’s contention may well wind up the case. Regardless, within the body of that otherwise well-sourced piece Kramer did not provide sources or even solid reasons for his central notion that the Mariners weren’t seriously involved in pursuing Ohtani. Which, for me, casts doubt on its veracity. It reads more like a sportswriter carving out his niche, which in this case it seems to me is pitching cold water for its own sake.
In my opinion, he’s one of the worst writers covering the Mariners anyway, and not because he’s writing things I don’t want to hear or read, more so it’s because he contributes little and clarifies nothing.
Trust your own faculties.
good vibes only
Well said and I hope you are right. However viewing this news in the light of the 54% presser, I have very little trust in Dipoto or ownership.
hoof hearted
Way overpay for seattle
kvoight
thinking this is a good trade for seattle makes you a moron. Haggerty, rojas, moore, caballero, and say France also…so 20 million dollars plus rapped up group of players who should all play second and not one is worth a crap at the plate…money can be spent elsewhere
good vibes only
Exactly. All those players you listed amounts to nearly half a Shohei worth of salary for bench bats. What a waste of money
bloomquist4hof
This has to be the most Dipoto move I could think of, bolster the CIF/utility/platoon pile at the cost of a decent reliever. I’m not against these moves if they bolster the bullpen and the other moves they make. I would be concerned if the offseason mostly consists of moves that look like this though. They need some clear upgrades somewhere on the roster.
mang
Breslow really just turned a guy who was hours away from being non-tendered into a former-second round pitcher who impressed at the MLB level this year? Seriously? I’m very pleasantly surprised.
SI
Man I dont hate it but i dont like it for the Ms. Will have to see the rest of the offseason holds.
Urias:
2 average years in Mil with 112 and 110 wrc+ and the dude can walk. Last few years he has been plagued by injuries.
Hanjag
The M’s have a glut of these 2B + other positional flexibility: Dylan Moore, Josh Rojas, Sam Haggerty, Jose Caballero.
Isiah Campbell was a 2019 second rounder who put up a 144 ERA+ as a rookie call-up.
This was an overpay in prospects .
He is paid near 5M in arbitration.
Unless there is some sort of follow-up trade, this is a waste.
Rsox
I like it. Dealing a player that was likely to be non-tendered anyway and turning him into bullpen depth. Breslow has already one-upped Bloom
Trollfree
Breslow Evaluation meter swings right to – APPROVE!!
The reliever is better than most of our relievers not named Kenley. An inexpensive player to fill one of the short relief roles is outstanding. If he starts in the minors and ascends to a spot currently taken by Winckowski or Martin that would be great. Long-term having a controllable good set-up man is a real positive.
Breslow – 1 for 1 so far.
JoeBrady
If he starts in the minors and ascends to a spot currently taken by Winckowski or Martin that would be great.
=========================
When you wake up, you will be wondering who posted this.
1-Campbell is not starting off in the minors.
2-Winc and his 2.88 isn’t going anywhere.
3-Martin had the best ERA in BB for qualifying RPs.
Old York
Small sample size for Isaiah Campbell but with a GB% of 37.9% and kwERA of 3.40, the calculated GBkwERA is approximately 4.49. Not great.
RSmith
“small sample size”
But he has a much bigger sample size in the minors and he’s never had the BB problem (4.1/9) in the minors. Considering he only has 29 MLB innings, that number looks much more like an abberation.
Its not like the strike zone changes or is more difficult at the MLB level. Help him get his control back and he looks like a solid reliever.
Health is a much bigger variable and possible road bump moving forward.
Old York
@RSmith
True, although I don’t like combining data, if I put the minor numbers, with the MLB GB% of 37.9% and kwERA of approximately 2.832, the calculated GBkwERA is approximately 3.75. For a major league reliever, it’s not terrible so hopefully he finds command but we’ll have to see if that changes or not.
RSmith
“I dont like combining data”
Who’s combining data? Im ‘comparing’ data.
College+MiL: 7 Seasons, 310 Inn, 88 Walks (BB/9 = 2.5)
Major Leagues: 1 Season, 28 Inns, 13 Walks (BB/9 = 4.1)
Campbell’s Major League 2024 walk ratio looks like an anomaly. Strike zones generally dont change between levels. So fixing the walk issue doesnt look like it will be tough. Then the numbers are pretty good.
Trollfree
RSmith – By 2019 Campbell had refined his pitching at the collegiate level. He got drafted and then COVID hit and he didn’t pitch until 2021.
In 2021 he only got in 5 games at Hi-A and gave up 13 hits and 6 walks. That means he was dominant but had some minor control issues. In 2022 he started at Hi=A again and in 33 innings he gave up just 18 hits and 10 walks. Again, he dominated but had some larger control issues.
At AA he was moved from a starter to a reliever and that changed his numbers significantly. He gave up 13 hits in 13 innings but only walked 2 batters so he was not dominant but his control was excellent.
Last year he started at AA and moved directly to the MLB after 23 relief appearances. That’s a bigger jump than normal indicating his stuff at AA had improved from 2022. In 24 innings he only gave up 18 hits and he walked 7 so his profile from the low minors now applied again. Dominance with minor control issues.
Going to the MLB without a stop at AAA is a risky move. He threw 28.2 innings in 27 appearances giving up just 22 hits and walking a whopping 13 batters. So his dominance continued after a two level jump but his control dropped off dramatically. That could have been from nerves and trying to be too perfect or possibly his mechanics. Either way, it’s something that can be fixed and his ability to give up far less than 1 hit per inning pitched shows he’s got a huge upside.
This was a great trade for Boston and it almost seems like Bloom took over the Seattle GM job!!! hahaha
pleasantflavor
Sure it’s lackluster.
But it’s November 17. Plenty of moves ahead to see where this fits into the context of the 2024 roster. Hopefully it simply raises the floor of the platoon/bench situation with several impact moves on the horizon.
B-Cap
I may be the only disappointed Boston fan as I thought Uriah was going to have more upside this year.
Occams_hairbrush
He was going to be non tendered.
JJBird
Be happy. Your GM just fleeced our pathetic GM out of a great young arm. You’ll be a happy with Campbell.
Trollfree
I hope Breslow pulled an all-nighter to get a deal done for Woodruff. We talked about Burnes but Woodruff is not a big step down and he’s a lot less money while he is on the mend. Take a chance and give him a four year deal beginning in 2023 when he’ll only pitch the second half of the year. He’s an inexpensive top of the rotation guy.
An inexpensive depth move in 2023 if Breslow puts the bigger money in years 2 to 4 when he’ll be healthy for the whole year and Sale will be off the books or possibly close to $6MM less in 2025 than 2024.
Come on Breslow, SIGN Woodruff!!! Then go get Yamamoto on Monday!!.
JoeBrady
Take a chance and give him a four year deal beginning in 2023 when he’ll only pitch the second half of the year. He’s an inexpensive top of the rotation guy.
=======================
“2024” but I know what you meant. But what is the price tag? The GMs will treat him as damaged goods, while Woodruff will want to get paid like a healthy pitcher taking a year off.
Plus I read on Woodruff’s thread that Capsule surgery has a bad prognosis. You have anything that suggests this is nothing worse than maybe a TJS?
That said, and depending on the medical feedback, I agree. My offer would be $20M/2 with a team option of $60M/4 after the 2nd year.
Trollfree
Joe – That’s my fault. The first year was going to be his current salary. That way there are no hard feelings while he is offf and then when he’s back he gets the good sized raise.
LordD99
Seems like a solid deal to improve both teams on the margins.
LDilbert
Urias is a lot cheaper than India and we didn’t give up a bryce miller to get him.
In a JD bizarro world I could see
Rojas/ Moore At 3b
Haggerty/ Urias at 2b
Geno traded clearing payroll for bangers in left field and DH
sacrifice
Both still young with upside
Helps both teams
JoeBrady
I’m not bagging on Urias. I liked him when we picked him up, but thought it was 50/50 that we would non-tender him. When I saw the trade, I expected a decent lottery ticket, which Seattle seems to have a lot of.
But while Campbell has some control issues, and an injury background, he looks like a legit MLB RP. This has some good upside.
lee cousins
Boy, the M’s are full of lets take on a chance. This is apart of the M’s playbook as we all know well. Straight across I’m not all that thrilled about this trade with Campbell the vision is 20/20. meaning he will become an affordable, controllable good pitcher but the M’s are bent on making changes. as they should be I guess I will be hoping this will become more than just musical chairs once again. Your not required in having an Elephants memory to know what I’m talking about..
Gumby82
DiPoto is a moron and may actually be a worse GM than Billy Beane was
Fever Pitch Guy
Gumby – You sure about that?
Did DiPoto trade a future MVP for a worthless tool like Brett Lawrie?
KcsMsFan
How… in the same article… do you go from calling Urias and his .244 batting average “above average” and then call Rojas’ .247 average as tepid and denote him as a clear upgrade? Lol
RSmith
The author writes “during 2021-22 Urias posted a .244/.340/.426 slash line across 1042 trips to the plate ”
There’s more to hitting than just batting average. A .766 OPS for a middle infielder is above average.
When talking about Rojas they talk about his 2023 numbers. Where he had a .641 OPS. Calling it tepid is being kind.
So just because Rojas slightly beat Urias out in BA, he doesnt walk as much, and a lot less power.
Trollfree
RSmith – We traded an expensive league average player for a controlled reliever with a huge upside. Why is that a problem or are you just picking on the author? If so, go for it. The writing is often inaccurate and you point that BA isn’t the only thing that matters is true. OBP, OPS+, Fielding % are all key indicators as to how good and well rounded a ball player is.
Josh Rojas is League Average ARB 2 who is 30 years old with a $3.5MM price.
Luis Urias is League Average ARB 3 who is 27 years old with a $4.7MM price
Since they are both League Average they are both over priced. Dylan Moore is the other one in the mix in Seattle and he’s 31 with a VET status and a $3MM cost with a career OPS+ of 98 so he too is League Average.
Moore is the cheapest of the 3 League Average players and frankly none of them are worth talking about because they should be back-ups on a good team.
bwood
Like many have mentioned above, this move has Jerry’s stench and Stanton’s haze all over it. Light hitting, multi position player that was once a hot prospect.
If you want to add ANOTHER type of that player, look at the non-tender list from Friday.
One on the list was Nick Senzel.
Doesn’t cost you the 2nd round prospect sent to Boston, wont cost 4.7m, and he’s virtually the same guy as Luis Urias.
stathead.com/baseball/versus-finder.cgi?player_id2…
Yeah, yeah, yeah I get the career WAR is off quite a bit but looking at the individual numbers head to head, these two sure seem like the same guy to me, don’t they?
Or am I pressing to hard on Jerry & his love for “Control the Zone with Utility Players”?
If Urias was going to be non-tendered then that says a lot about this organization and how the rest of FA will go.
Jerry was so worried he couldn’t get this guy on a FA contract that he had to force him here via trade?
Or Jerry thought Urias is such a impact weapon that CAA Sports was going to have to change phone numbers because of all the negotiations coming in and Jerry wouldn’t be on the call forward list?
What does that mean for the players you actually need here, that can’t be forced to play through trade if Jerry can’t sign Urias if he was non-tendered?
Nothing from the past, especially the last 2 FA cycles when he should have spent, leads me to believe this is the year The FO decides to spend big.
If it is the year to spend big then what are The M’s buying, sub par bats in a weak market?
Show me the long list of impact FA signings under Jerry.
This is how The FO operates, has operated and will continue to operate.
Don’t expect much more during the offseason, just more stench and haze like this move to keep the Brinks truck rolling in for Stanton.
This FA outlook, 2024 and beyond look pretty grim to me & Forget about Hi-Five Puppy, M’s never had a shot!
lee cousins
My sense is Jerry could have traded with a lesser prospect or the trade could have been expanded to better even out this trade. Since this amounts to getting yet another utility player who’s forecast does not indicate much if any improvement. Perhaps this will become more about facilitating other trades something like playing a game of chess having a positive cumulative affect. Do they play chess well?
Trollfree
Fever – Did you see Nola got re-signed by DD? I think we’ll know soon if Ohtani goes to Texas. If he does, then Montgomery will not be re-signed but if he doesn’t I expect Monty to be in a Ranger jersey in 2024.
Breslow needs to be all over Yamamoto as soon as he’s posted on Monday!!
Fever Pitch Guy
TF – Why do you think Ohtani would impact Monty?
Even if Ohtani goes to the Rangers, he can’t pitch for them until 2025 at the earliest.
By then Scherzer will likely be gone, so Monty would guarantee at least three quality SP in 2025 (deGrom and The Great Nate being the other two).
Yama isn’t getting posted Monday, he got posted today and the negotiating window begins tomorrow at 8AM!!!!
Trollfree
Fever – Ohtani impacts Monty because they won’t have enough salary to get Monty and with all their depth, Monty is a bonus in 2024 not a need if they can beef up their DH spot with Ohtani. They are so loaded with SPs it’s crazy. Monty is quality depth so without Ohtani they can afford Monty to whether injuries with deGrom and Scherzer on the team.
Fever Pitch Guy
TF – I don’t think money is an issue right now with the Rangers. They have a window with Seager, deGrom, Eovaldi, etc.
martevious
Urias is the kind of guy the Mariners go for. .234 career average. .199 last year.
baseballteam
Now let’s get a second baseman – Gleyber, Ha-Seong Kim, Thairo Estrada…
Trollfree
baseballteam – How about Merrifeld for speed at the bottom of the order?
baseballteam
Let’s do it!
Fever Pitch Guy
TF – I know you want Donaldson to replace Devers at 3B, but wouldn’t they be losing a lot of offense by doing so?
Trollfree
Fever – I want no part of Donaldson. I’ve said Chapman if Devers goes to DH and I’ve suggested Rafaela or Story and the other at SS and Devers at DH OR I suggested Arenado straight up for Arenado. More money less years and jumping team defense for 29 to top 10.
Fever Pitch Guy
TF – I totally agree! Best to keep Devers there for next season, especially with Breslow working on a trade for Eloy. I’m gonna have a hard time with the hat thing though. Haha!
Trollfree
My typo – Devers for Arenado straight up. Since neither Yoshida or Verdugo have been dealt we can afford to move Rafaela to SS and Story to 3B and if people think Story’s arm isn’t good enough to play 3B then leave him at SS and put Rafaela at 3B. Even a guy who never played 3B would be better than Devers!!!
Now that the non-tender date is passed we need to look for deals that include Verdugo, Yoshida and Devers. We only need one DH and we can’t live with infielders who are 20 points below league average defensively. 7 seasons of being that bad WILL NOT change going forward. He may have an occasional hot streak but you can guarantee it will be followed by a devastating defensive cold streak by Devers.
We need top end SPs and I just don’t think any will sign with Devers as the 3B. I wouldn’t. Nobody likes their ERA significantly higher because some bad fielder get breaks from the score keepers. ERA and WHIP are just part of winning a CY Young or an all-star invite but nobody knowingly chooses a team that will hurt their numbers that badly. Bloom signed bad $10MM a year guys because nobody wanted to pitch with Devers at 3B.
Trade for Arenado and watch the SPs start flocking to Boston even with Cora the worst manager in baseball.
Trollfree
Fever – With all our great young outfielders why would Breslow waste his time on a guy like Eloy? I think both Rafaela and Anthony will be better than him in 2 years and A LOT cheaper.
Devers can’t play 3B he must be the DH or we are a .500 team or worse depending on who they get as SP1 and SP2.
Fever Pitch Guy
TF – I’m with you my friend!!! Seems like Eloy is on a every-other-year pattern of good and bad.
HOPEFULLY Breslow doesn’t want Jimenez simply because he wants to break up the all-lefty outfield, who cares if they are all lefties!!
Could be because Breslow wants to move Yoshida to DH.