The Tampa Bay Rays began to fine-tune their roster Sunday, investing in second-chances from ex-members of the Seattle Mariners.
The Rays gave up starting pitcher Nathan Karns, reliever C.J. Riefenhauser and minor league outfielder Boog Powell in the trade. They acquired shortstop Brad Miller, first baseman-designated hitter Logan Morrison and reliever Danny Farquhar.
Miller, 26, hit .258 with 11 home runs, 46 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 144 games in 2015. He made starts at shortstop (83), center field (20), left field (9), designated hitter (6), second base (5), third base (1) and right field (1). Only one other American League shortstop could match his combination of homers (11), stolen bases (13) and slugging percentage (.402): Houston’s Carlos Correa. The Orlando native established career highs in games, hits, doubles (22), homers, RBI and on-base pct. (.329), and was named the Mariners Unsung Hero by the Seattle Chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Morrison, 28, hit .225 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI in a career-high 146 games in 2015, his first time appearing in at least 100 games since 2011. His home run and RBI totals were his most since he had 23 homers and 72 RBI with the Marlins in 2011. In his career, Morrison has made 284 starts at first base and 249 starts in the outfield (241-LF, 8-RF).
Farquhar, 28, went 1-8 with a 5.12 ERA (51-IP, 29-ER) in 43 appearances spanning five stints with the Mariners in 2015. After pitching to a 6.23 ERA (30.1-IP, 21-ER) in 25 appearances before the All-Star break, he registered a 3.48 ERA (20.2-IP, 8-ER) in 18 games in the second half. He has a career 3.96 ERA over parts of four seasons (2011, 2013-15) in the majors, all with the Mariners, including 16 saves in 2013, which led AL rookies.
The big price was Karns, who was 7-5 with a 3.67 era. But with Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Erasmo Ramirez, Matt Moore and Drew Smyly, the Rays had a surplus at the position.
Miller was the Mariners’ starting shortstop at the start of the year but lost his job during the season. With Asdrubal Cabrera a free agent, he has a chance to compete for the starting job here.
Morrison has a bit of power, but he struggles to maintain a healthy average.
Farquhar was only 1-8 with a 5.22 era.
