Seattle Mariners Acquire Pitcher Trent Thornton in Trade With Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have traded right-handed relief pitcher Trent Thornton to the Seattle Mariners, the teams announced Wednesday afternoon. Shortstop Mason McCoy went back to the Blue Jays in the deal.

ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported the trade.

Thornton was added to Seattle's 40-man roster, although he was immediately optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. In a related move, the Mariners transferred left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list with a left forearm strain.

Seattle's bullpen ranks No. 6 in ERA at 3.72 this season, but only No. 13 in WHIP at 1.30.

Thornton had been part of the Blue Jays' organization since he was traded there from the Houston Astros in 2018. Although he spent most of the 2019 and 2020 seasons as a starter, Thornton accumulated a 5.06 ERA and was eventually moved into the bullpen.

After posting a 4.45 ERA in 95.0 innings between 2021 and 2022, Thornton had a 1.69 ERA in 2023. The righty only pitched in four major league games this season, though, and he was designated for assignment when the Blue Jays traded for St. Louis Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera on July 21.

The Mariners had to part ways with McCoy in order to add Thornton, although the 28-year-old McCoy has yet to appear in a major league game.

McCoy, who was initially traded to Seattle from the Baltimore Orioles in April 2022, has spent the entirety of the last three seasons in Triple-A. In 323 games at that level, McCoy has racked up 41 home runs, 62 doubles, 55 stolen bases and 161 RBI while posting a .238 batting average and .735 OPS.

The Mariners will have Thursday off after beating the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. They will return to action Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, close out their three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.

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