Mariners, Rays Complete Trade Sending 6-Foot-5 Pitcher To Seattle

Will this rookie make the opening day roster?

Mar 1, 2025; Port Charlotte, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Cole Wilcox (87) throws a pitch against the New York Mets in the fifth inning during spring training at Charlotte Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Just over two weeks after they were eliminated from the postseason, the Seattle Mariners have made their first acquisition for their revenge tour.

Major league free agents still aren't yet eligible to sign with new teams yet, so it's not as though the Mariners could make a big splash. But they saw an arm available on waivers that intrigued them, so they hopped the line to claim him by making a trade with an American League rival.

According to the official Major League Baseball transactions log, the Mariners acquired right-handed pitcher Cole Wilcox from the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations.

Who is new Mariners pitcher Cole Wilcox?

Feb 17, 2025; Port Charlotte, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Cole Wilcox (87) poses for a photo during media day Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Wilcox, 26, was a third-round pick of the San Diego Padres in the 2020 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Rays alongside three other prospects (Luis Patiño, Francisco Mejia, and Blake Hunt) at the end of that season as part of the package that brought two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to San Diego.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 232 pounds, Wilcox has the typical frame of a power righty, and his average sinker velocity of 96.6 mph in his one major league outing this season was in line with his typical game logs at Triple-A Durham. He also has a slider and a sweeper, which are both about 10 mph slower than his fastball.

That's right, by the way: Wilcox has exactly one major league game under his belt. If he makes the Mariners' opening day roster, he'll be a true rookie, and he also has all three of his minor-league options available.

The Rays made Wilcox a reliever in the minors this year after using him primarily as a starter in 2023 and 2024, so it will be interesting to see if that's the role the Mariners have in mind for him as well.

At worst, the Mariners spent a couple of bucks to figure out if an arm they liked had anything to offer in spring training. But moves like this sometimes turn into teams finding breakout contributors, and that's something this Seattle pitching staff could use after struggling to find depth down the stretch.

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