Mariners trade for righty Yimi Garcia to boost bullpen

The Seattle Mariners appear to be focused on improving their chances of a playoff spot this season, with a second trade in 24 hours.

One day after completing a much-needed trade to boost the lineup, the Seattle Mariners have made another deal which will benefit the ball club. As confirmed on social media, they’ve acquired Yimi García from the Toronto Blue Jays, to strengthen the bullpen.

In return, the Mariners have sent outfielder Jonatan Clase and minor league catcher Jacob Sharp to Toronto. With the trade, the ball club’s 40-man roster remains full at 40 players.

The addition of García undoubtedly helps the Mariners bullpen in respect of quality depth, with them having dealt with key injuries all year. They are second-best in the Majors in batting average and third-best in WHIP, but would like — or more to the point need — to see some improvement in ERA, which is tied 11th-best ahead of Saturday’s action.

Aging like a fine wine

Even at 34-years-old, the righty continues to be an excellent Major League reliever. So far in 2024, he has produced a 2.70 ERA, 2.64 FIP and an outstanding 0.800 WHIP in 30.0 combined innings over 29 appearances.

Of particular note, García is also on course for a single season-high 36.5 percent strikeout rate. Overall he just seems to be getting better with age, when considering his career averages of a 3.54 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.051 WHIP and 26.8 percent strikeout rate.

Critics have made reference in the past to concerns about the Dominican Republic native’s health. For what it’s worth however, last year he set career highs of 73 appearances and 66.0 combined innings.

From a contract perspective, it should be noted García is essentially a rental, with him due to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Financially speaking, the Mariners will pay him $2.1 million the rest of the way.

Mariners Executive Vice President and General Manager of Baseball Operations Justin Hollander shared his thoughts on the newest addition to the ball club. He said:

“Yimi has been one of the best relievers in the American League this year — dominating the strike zone, missing bats and pitching in high leverage. He has big-game experience and we’re excited to add him to our bullpen.”

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Mariners finally headed back in the right direction?

Given all the doom and gloom surrounding the Mariners these past few weeks, the trades for García and Randy Arozarena certainly help. As does beating the Chicago White Sox 10-0 on Friday night, after suffering their first series sweep of the year versus the Los Angeles Angels.

Let’s be clear though in stating the Mariners still need help, with them now one game back in the AL West after at one point leading by as many as 10.0 games. And that help is specifically for an offense with the third-fewest runs in the Majors prior to Saturday’s slate of games.

As such, fans will be hoping the Mariners still have more moves to make, with the need for at least one more strong bat. And while we appreciate this is easier said than done, it’s imperative to provide arguably the best rotation in franchise history (and in the Majors this season) some more support.

As much as Garcia does help the bullpen, it’s still the lineup which needs strengthening. How confident are you in the Mariners making at least one more trade, for a quality bat? Let us know in the comments section below.