The Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays made a late trade on Monday night. So the Mariners not only acquired a few prospects for Brandon League from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they also traded relief pitcher Steve Delabar away for outfielder Eric Thames. Thames has been hitting well in triple-A although he struggled during his stint in the majors and had to be demoted back.
Matthew of Lookout Landing files this report on Thames.
Without a scouting report and going just on the numbers, Thames' skillset at the moment profiles a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, but excellent at none. He can draw a walk, he can hit for power and he can hit for average. His rates are all around the league averages. For someone young and with little experience, that's encouraging. Hopefully there's growth potential still untapped. For a power relief pitcher with limited track record, this strikes me as a fair swap.
Delabar has had trouble trying to take right handers out, and often has given up too many home runs. There are too many pitchers in the Seattle rotation who appear to fit that profile and could be a closer, so Delabar was probably considered as a pitcher they had the luxury of letting go when everything was said and done.
Talk about the Thames for Delabar deal with Mariners fans at Lookout Landing, and with Blue Jays fans at Bluebird Banter.
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