Rays Trade Pitcher Recently Designated for Assignment to Mariners

The Tampa Bay Rays recently designated a pitcher for assignment. He has been traded to the Seattle Mariners.

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The Tampa Bay Rays made a flurry of roster moves recently to clear space on their 40-man roster for players who needed to be activated off the 60-day injured list.

To make room for starting pitcher Shane McClanahan, relief pitchers Manuel Rodriguez and Hunter Bigge, center fielder Jonny DeLuca and outfielder Ryan Vilade, who was recently acquired from the Cincinnati Reds, they announced six players were designated for assignment.

Right-handed relief pitcher Alex Faedo and outfielder Stuart Fairchild were the biggest-name players who were sent to waivers. The other four players were right-handed pitchers Cole Wilcox, Caleb Boushley, Joey Gerber and Garret Acton.

Rays trade Cole Wilcox to Mariners

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Those moves were announced on Monday. On Wednesday, some of them were already with new teams, including Wilcox. According to the Major League Baseball transaction log, he has been traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash considerations.

Standing an imposing 6-foot-5 and weighing 232 pounds, he was originally a third-round pick of the San Diego Padres in 2020. He was part of the trade package the team used to acquire Blake Snell from the Rays, along with Luis Patino, Francisco Mejia and Blake Hunt.

A starting pitcher in the minor leagues with Tampa Bay in 2023 and 2024, he transitioned into a relief pitcher’s role this year. He found a good amount of success, throwing 58.1 innings with a 3.70 ERA and 63 strikeouts.

There is still some work to do when it comes to his command. He issued 27 walks, equating to an underwhelming 4.2 BB/9 ratio. It was an unexpected area of struggle after he had a 2.8 BB/9 ratio in 2024 across 143.2 innings of work in 28 starts.

Cole Wilcox has big arm Mariners will attempt to develop

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Wilcox is armed with a power sinker, averaging 96.6 mph. He also has a slider and sweeper in his arsenal.

The Mariners will be looking to get the most out of that arm. He has made one Big League appearance in his career, and it did not go well, allowing seven runs, three of which were earned, in an inning of work. Four hits and three walks were issued.

Still only 26 years old, it is a worthwhile lottery ticket for Seattle to bring him in and see what he has during offseason workouts and spring training. Since he has made only one Major League appearance, he still has all three of his minor league options.

Wilcox is the second player out of the six to be traded after being designated for assignment. Gerber was acquired by the New York Mets in exchange for cash considerations as well.