The Seattle Mariners have added to their bullpen in a deal with the Oakland Athletics. The Mariners acquired relief pitcher Evan Scribner from the Athletics in exchange for minor league pitcher Trey Cochran-Gill, as first reported by Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune.
The teams announced the deal on Tuesday night. Scribner should have no problem competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but will have to prove himself to general manager Jerry Dipoto in the spring.
"Evan brings us another experienced major-league reliever," Dipoto said, "who has exhibited strong control of the strike zone as well as the ability to miss bats.
"He’ll compete for a spot in our major-league bullpen."
Scribner will look to bounce back after being knocked out of the last month of the season with a muscle strain. The 30-year-old was a 28th round pick in the 2007 MLB Draft. Meanwhile, Cochran-Gill was drafted in the 17th round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Auburn University.
Cochran-Gill has owned a 2.91 ERA throughout his two minor league seasons with Rookie-Pulaski, Low-A Everett, High-A Bakersfield, Double-A Jackson and Triple-A Tacoma. The right-handed pitcher moved up in the ranks with ease and has a ton of raw talent that could translate into the rotation for Oakland.
As for Scribner, he struggled last season, but has more experience than Cochran-Gill. In 2015, the right-handed pitcher posted a 4.35 ERA across 60.0 innings. The 30-year-old gave up 14 home runs, which is the most of any reliever in baseball, and allowed 29 earned runs. Through his five-year career, Scribner has tossed 147.2 innings out of the bullpen. The previous season was the first which Scribner did not get sent down to the minor leagues.
The good news is that Scribner and Seattle is that the pitcher comes with four years of control and fits into the formula for the Mariners, which is to buy low priced relievers who are coming off a rough season. Scribner is eligible for salary arbitration for the first time.