CHICAGO — About 16 hours after completing the biggest transaction of MLB’s trade season, the Mariners made a second trade Friday afternoon to bolster their bullpen.
The Mariners announced the acquisition of veteran relief pitcher Yimi Garcia from the Toronto Blue Jays, who is generally considered the best relief pitcher on the market.
This comes a day after the Mariners acquired the best hitter on the market, Randy Arozarena. Under contract with Tampa Bay.
Both Arozarena and Garcia are scheduled to arrive in Chicago on Saturday morning and will be in Mariners uniforms for Game 2 of the series against the White Sox on Saturday night.
“Those are two veteran guys who have been in this league and have had great success,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said Friday afternoon. “We’re hoping they’ll give us some inspiration when they get here.”
The Mariners traded rookie outfielder Jonathan Kreis (22) to Toronto as part of the primary trade to acquire Garcia.
Ranked the Mariners’ No. 13 prospect by Baseball America, Klass batted .195 with a .453 OPS in his first 41 major league at-bats this season.
The Mariners will also send minor league catcher Jacob Sharpe to Toronto to make the deal happen.
Garcia, a 33-year-old right-hander, will provide backup for a bullpen that has been stretched thin in recent weeks.
Garcia pitched 30 innings for the Blue Jays this season, posting a 2.70 ERA, five saves, 42 strikeouts and a 0.80 WHIP.
Garcia will become a free agent after this season.
Mariners relief pitcher Trent Thornton was Garcia’s bullpen mate in Toronto for parts of 2022 and 2023.
“Imi is one of the best teammates I’ve had,” Thornton said. “He’s a great guy. He goes out there every day on the field and works hard. He’s the best.” [on the mound]Very impressive arm. Can pitch every day. Very, very good addition.
On Wednesday, the Mariners’ newest high-leverage pitcher, Gregory Santos, left the game in the eighth inning with a knee injury.
Servais had some good news to share about Santos: An MRI scan of his knee came back “normal,” he said.
Santos is scheduled to work out with team trainers on Friday afternoon, and Servais expects Santos to be available out of the bullpen on Saturday.
Note:
Saturday’s game will be broadcast exclusively on national FOX (with first pitch at 4:15 p.m. PST) and will be broadcast by Mariners announcer Aaron Goldsmith and former White Sox catcher AJ Pierzinski.
— It was announced Friday that the Aug. 11 Mariners-New York Mets game at T-Mobile Park has been selected for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, with the first pitch now set to 4:10 p.m. PST. This will be Seattle’s first Sunday night broadcast since June 6, 2004 (against the White Sox) and the first time a Mariners game will be broadcast on a Sunday night since July 31, 2016 (against the Chicago Cubs).
