Baseball’s trading season generally doesn’t get kick-started until after the amateur draft in June. Then again, Seattle’s Jerry DiPoto isn’t known for sitting on his hands.
Here’s the deal his Mariners swung with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday:
https://twitter.com/mariners/status/1000137427518967809?s=21
The Mariners needed a boost to their offense after losing center fielder Dee Gordon to an injury and second baseman Robinson Cano to an 80-game suspension. Span, who the Rays acquired in an offseason trade with the Giants, was off to a decent start with his new team. Span owns a .364 on-base percentage and 114 wRC+ and figures to slide into the lead-off spot atop the order.
Colome adds depth to a bullpen that already features a lock-down closer in Edwin Diaz. The Rays dangled Colome in trade rumors all offseason, but ultimately decided to keep him, though he was at least somewhat expected to be moved this season. That said, Colome has shaken his early season struggles to convert 11 saves despite a 4.15 ERA. This has been a good month for him, as he’s pitched to a 1.86 ERA (1.35 FIP), 27.0 K% and 2.7 BB%.
The Cubs probably weren’t in the market for either of these players, but at least dealing Colome keeps him away from some other NL contenders (most notably, the Cardinals) who might have been angling for bullpen help this summer.
Update: From the Man:
Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto on the move to bring in @AlexanderColome and @thisisdspan. pic.twitter.com/3MsRGymlpE
— Mariners (@Mariners) May 25, 2018