The Mariners Monday parted with reliever Carson Smith and part-time starter Roenis Elias in order to bolster the rotation with Wade Miley, Boston’s top starter last season.
Hours after losing starter Hisashi Iwakuma in free agency to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mariners acquired LHP Wade Miley and RHP Jonathan Aro from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for RHP Carson Smith and LHP Roenis Elias. Jerry Dipoto made his seventh trade since becoming Mariners GM at MLB’s winter meetings in Nashville.
“Wade is a proven major league starter who brings a level of stability to the middle of our rotation,” Dipoto said in a release.
The 29-year-old Miley went 11-11 with a 4.46 ERA in 32 starts for the Red Sox last season. He threw 193.2 innings, the fourth consecutive season he’s pitched in 32 games or more and tossed at least 193 innings.
Playing in the American League for the first time in 2015, Miley led the Red Sox in wins, starts, innings and quality starts (17). Miley is one of four lefties (and 13 pitchers overall) to have made at least 32 starts in each of the past three seasons. His 98 starts since the beginning of 2013 are the most by a left-handed pitcher.
Named an All-Star in his first full season with Arizona in 2012, Miley is 49-46 with a 3.95 ERA in 138 career appearances (134 starts) between the Diamondbacks and Red Sox.
Aro, 25, made his MLB debut with Boston June 25 vs. Baltimore and went 0-1 with a 6.79 ERA in six relief appearances over four stints with the Red Sox (June 25-July 2, July 30-31, Aug. 23-25 and Sept. 8-end of season). The reliever also went 3-3 with a 3.04 ERA and two saves in 34 appearances split between AA Portland and AAA Pawtucket.
Aro was signed by Boston in 2011 as an international free agent. In the minors, the Dominican Republic native is 16-15 with 13 saves and a 2.83 ERA in 101 games, including 12 starts over five seasons.
Smith went 2-5 with 13 saves and a 2.31 ERA in 70 games with the Mariners last season, while limiting opponents to a .194 batting average. The Mariners selected Smith in the eighth round of the 2011 draft out of Texas State University.
Elias went 5-8 with a 4.14 ERA in 22 games last season, including 20 starts over two stints (April 26-July 3 and Aug. 23-end of season). He also made 12 starts with Tacoma, going 4-2 with a 7.34 ERA. Elias signed with Seattle as a minor league free agent May 3, 2011. Over two MLB seasons, he is 15-20 with a 3.97 in 51 games, including 49 starts.
The Mariners have 39 players on their 40-man roster.
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