Mariners add trade acquisitions France, Torrens to active roster; Graveman reinstated
When the Mariners begin their four-game series against the Rangers this weekend, they’ll have two new faces in the dugout at T-Mobile Park.
Both infielder Ty France and catcher Luis Torrens, who the Mariners received in a seven-player trade with the Padres over the weekend, passed intake protocols and were added to the active roster Tuesday.
Both are expected to see significant playing time in September, and could be in the starting lineup as early as Friday night’s opener against Texas.
Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said during a video call following Monday’s trade deadline Torrens will get the bulk of the reps behind the plate as the regular season winds down.
Torrens, who is 24, has the most major league experience of any of the Mariners’ deadline acquisitions, though his situation is unique. He was only 20, and had never played a game above A-ball, when the Padres traded for him in the Rule 5 Draft in 2016.
By rule, Torrens spent the entirety of the 2017 season with the Padres, and given his lack of experience in the upper rungs of the minors, struggled, hitting .163/.243/.203 in his 56 appearances.
But, in his return to the minors the past two seasons, when he was eligible to be optioned again, Torrens thrived. Last season in Double-A, he hit .300/.373/.500 in 97 games with 23 doubles, a triple, 15 homers and 62 RBI.
He was recalled in September, playing seven games, and opened this season at the Padres’ alternate training site, but was promoted again in August, appearing in seven games.
“The Padres sent him back to A-ball to restart his development,” Dipoto said. “In the two years in the minor leagues, he did nothing but hit.”
Torrens checks other boxes, too, Dipoto said, with his approach, his ability to get on base, his power and his defense.
“We’re going to give him an opportunity to catch and do the things that he’s been doing through his last two years in development here in the big leagues,” Dipoto said.
Torrens will be the primary replacement for starting catcher Austin Nola, who was sent to San Diego as part of the trade.
Joe Odom, who has worked with several of the Mariners’ younger pitchers in the minors, remains on the active roster, while Joe Hudson has been optioned to the alternate training site in Tacoma. Top catching prospect Cal Raleigh, who has been viewed as the eventual every day starter in Seattle in years to come, remains in Tacoma this summer continuing his development.
This season’s projected Opening Day starter Tom Murphy remains on the 45-day injured list with a broken bone in his left foot. Mariners manager Scott Servais said Monday that Murphy has not picked up any baseball activity yet, meaning Torrens should get a chance for significant playing time these final 23 games.
France is another who should be on the field regularly the final month. It’s just a question of where the Mariners opt to play the 26-year-old infielder.
“He’s versatile enough to play multiple positions on the field,” Dipoto said. “We feel like his natural position is likely to be third base, but he plays third base, second base, first base. We feel like he’s athletic enough to stand out in the outfield as well.”
Dipoto said the Mariners ultimately want to find a landing spot for France, but are willing to move him around until they figure out where that position is.
This much is certain — the Mariners love his bat. He was the Pacific Coast League MVP in Triple-A last season. In 20 games with the Padres this year, he hit .309/.377/.491 with four doubles, two homers and 10 RBI. Dipoto said France is a player he has pursued for years.
“He has hit everywhere he’s ever been,” Dipoto said. “Last year he was a real popper for us with what he was doing at the minor league levels, and then we saw things we really liked in the big leagues. Pretty good judge of the strike zone, he’s got real power, and the hit ability from line to line, it just sneaks up on you. … His performance throughout his baseball life in the batter’s box is really noteworthy.
“So much so that in a deal where you’re trading a major leaguer with a .900 OPS like we did with Austin Nola, you didn’t have to look too far down the the OPS meter to find what Ty France had been doing this year.”
TRAMMELL TO TACOMA
The Mariners also received Padres top outfield prospect Taylor Trammell and reliever Andres Munoz in the seven-player deal.
Trammell, 22, and the MVP of the 2018 All-Star Futures Game, will spend the rest of his summer in Tacoma, Dipoto said, continuing to develop with the organization’s other up-and-comers.
Dipoto said the Mariners’ interest in Trammell dates back to his high school days, when he ultimately became a first-round draft pick by the Reds out of Georgia’s Mount Paran Christian School in 2016.
“He’s a guy we’ve always had a lot of interest in, and we feel like he has a chance to be an exceptional player.”
Trammell will join a group in Tacoma that already includes the club’s top two prospects in outfielders Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez.
Munoz, a 21-year-old right-hander, has missed the entirety of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. Dipoto estimated he will not pitch until at least May, but he impressed in his debut season with San Diego last year with a 3.91 ERA in 22 games.
MARINERS COMPLETE WALKER TRADE
The Mariners received 19-year-old outfield prospect Alberto Rodriguez from the Blue Jays on Tuesday, completing the trade that sent starter Taijuan Walker to Toronto last week.
Rodriguez has played two seasons in Toronto’s minor league system, slashing at .274/.356/.392 in 108 games in the Dominican Summer League and Gulf Coast League. He primarily played right field.
He was listed as the No. 24 prospect in Toronto’s organization in Baseball America’s midseason rankings.
Walker went 2-2 with a 4.00 ERA in five starts in his return to Seattle this year, which made him Seattle’s most appealing trade candidate. He becomes a free agent again at the end of the season.
In his first start with the Blue Jays on Saturday, Walker tossed six scoreless innings in a win. He is projected to pitch again Thursday.
SHORT HOPS
Starter Kenall Graveman was reinstated from the IL on Tuesday evening after spending the past few weeks rehabbing in Tacoma. The 29-year-old right-hander was placed on the IL in early August with a neck spasm following his second start. While working out in Tacoma, he said the ongoing discomfort he has been experiencing for about two years is caused by a benign bone tumor in his cervical spine. Servais said last week the Mariners were working through the possibility of bringing Graveman back in a bullpen role. … The Mariners claimed right-hander Walker Lockett off waivers Tuesday from the Mets. In parts of three big league seasons, the 26-year-old has posted a 2-4 record and 8.28 ERA across 15 games (eight starts). … To make room on the active roster for Graveman and the two trade acquisitions, catcher Joe Hudson, infielder Donovan Walton and outfielder Braden Bishop were optioned back to Tacoma, and reliever Zac Grotz was returned to the alternate site from the traveling taxi squad. … Reliever Nestor Cortes (elbow) was transferred to the 45-day IL on Monday. The Mariners currently have eight relievers on the IL. … Seattle’s 40-man roster is at 35 players, and its 28-man active roster is at 27.
