The Mariners made a minor trade for starting pitching depth on their 40-man roster on Sunday night, acquiring right-handed pitcher Zach Lee from the Dodgers in exchange for infielder Chris Taylor.
The Mariners made a minor trade for starting pitching depth on their 40-man roster on Sunday night, acquiring right-handed pitcher Zach Lee from the Dodgers in exchange for infielder Chris Taylor.
With Felix Hernandez and Wade Miley on the disabled list and Taijuan Walker battling foot issues, the Mariners’ overall starting pitching depth on the roster has taken a hit. Lee helps fill out their rotation in Tacoma and an additional starter on the 40-man roster if Walker were to need to go on the disabled list or if Adrian Sampson struggles in his next start.
Taylor was pulled from the Class AAA Tacoma’s game this afternoon and notified of the deal.
Lee, 24, is currently in the starting rotation for Class AAA Oklahoma City. In 13 starts, he’s got a 7-5 record with a 4.89 ERA. In 73 2/3 innings pitched, he’s struck out 57 batters and 15 walks. He made is big league debut last season,  allowing seven runs in 4 2/3 innings in a spot start.
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He’s amassed a 52-46 record in the Dodgers’ minor league system with a 3.98 ERA. He was first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2010 draft.
Taylor, 25, has been productive for the Rainiers, hitting .312 with 19 doubles, four triples, three homers and 29 RBI in 63 games. But Taylor has struggled at the big league level, struggling at the plate and in the field. With the emergence of Ketel Marte and the offseason acquisition of Luis Sardinas, Taylor had fallen down the organizational depth chart.