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The Rays have dealt closer Alex Colome and outfielder Denard Span to the Mariners, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays will receive pitchers Andrew Moore and Tommy Romero in the deal, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.
For the Mariners, acquiring Colome and Span is a step toward them trying to make the postseason for the first time in 19 years. After all, they occupy the second wild card spot in the American League after posting a 29-20 record and are only three games behind the defending World Series champion Astros in the AL West.
Colome is the big piece out of the deal, as he is one season removed from leading the AL in saves after having 47 while posting a 3.14 ERA in 65 appearances. This year, the 29-year-old right-hander has made 11 saves, but has a 4.15 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 21 2⁄3 innings pitched. He will be a big figure in their bullpen, which lost David Phelps to Tommy John surgery, this year and for the future since he is under control through 2020.
Span, 34, will try to provide some experience in the outfield for the M’s. He is an 11-year veteran and has slashed .282/.348/.396 for his career. This season, he is only hitting .238/.364/.385 with four home runs and 28 RBI in 43 games.
As for the Rays, they have made the first big trade of the season for the second straight season. Last year, they acquired shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria from the Marlins.
This time, though, they are signaling that they are sellers after going 23-25 and already being 10 games behind the Red Sox for first in the rugged AL East. They are 5 1⁄2 games behind the Mariners for the second wild card spot.
By dealing Colome and Span, they received two young arms in Moore and Romero.
The 23-year-old Moore has gone 3–1 with a 3.04 ERA in nine starts with Double-A Arkansas this season. Last year, he made four stints with the Mariners, but went 1–5 with a 5.34 ERA in 59 innings pitched.
Romero, 20, has gone 3–3 with a 2.45 ERA in nine starts with Single-A Clinton this year. Last year, he was selected in the 15th round of the MLB Draft and played at the rookie level, where he went 5–1 with a 2.08 ERA while striking out 51 and walking 15 in 13 appearances.