Mariners swing two trades, acquire three players before deadline

In the final hour before Tuesday’s trade deadline, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto swung a pair of “under-the-radar” trades to acquire three players that bolster Seattle’s roster depth during a playoff push.

The Mariners first acquired infielder Jake Lamb from the Dodgers for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Minutes later, they announced the acquisitions of catcher Curt Casali and left-hander Matthew Boyd from the Giants in exchange for minor leaguers Michael Stryffeler (RHP) and Andy Thomas (catcher).

The moves capped what Dipoto considered a busy week for Seattle’s front office, and assistant general manager Justin Hollander and the baseball operations team were credited with much of the “heavy lifting.”

The Mariners inked deals with draft picks last week, including first-rounder Cole Young, and dealt away the biggest package of prospects in recent team memory to the Reds for ace starter Luis Castillo on Friday.

Undoubtedly the Mariners’ biggest “get” before Tuesday’s deadline, the 29-year-old All-Star struck out 90 hitters in 85 innings for the Reds in 2022 while posting a 2.86 ERA.

“Really happy with the way it worked out for us,” Dipoto said in the closing remarks of a video call Tuesday afternoon. “We have a more complete, potentially more impactful roster. We have a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.

“We got the veteran backup catcher we were hoping to. And frankly, (Casali) was our target from the very beginning. We got the guy we wanted.”

Lamb, a nine-year MLB veteran and left-handed hitter, hit .239 (16-for-67) in 25 games for the Dodgers this season. He was born in Seattle, attended Bishop Blanchet High School, and played college baseball at Washington.

Lamb can play corner infield positions or serve as designated hitter. He slots into Seattle’s roster as a left-handed bench bat, and provides the Mariners “a nice offset” to right-handed hitters like Mitch Haniger and Dylan Moore when they return from injuries.

Casali, presumed backup catcher, hit .231 (25-for-108) in 41 games for the Giants in 2022. San Francisco sent him on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Sacramento on July 27 for a right oblique strain, and the 33-year-old made three appearances with the River Cats last week.

“(Curt) really takes great care in his game prep and working with pitchers, which ... I think it’s a big plus for us,” Dipoto said. “Very much similar to what we lost with Tom Murphy not being with the team regularly. And Curt does bring that. That’s something that I know has been a huge factor in Cal Raleigh’s growth, is how much he has embraced that.”

Boyd, packaged alongside Casali, is a Mercer Island native and attended Eastside Catholic in Sammamish. The 31-year-old is 37-62 with a 4.96 ERA across seven big league seasons with Toronto (2015) and Detroit (2015-21).

His response to the news of the deal on Twitter: “Coming home! Let’s do this!”

San Francisco placed him on the 60-day injured list on March 27, and Boyd has not pitched for the Giants this season after undergoing forearm flexor tendon surgery. He’ll throw a simulated game for the Rainiers on Wednesday, and will start a rehab assignment of his own in the next two to three weeks, Dipoto said.

When Boyd joins the Mariners later this season, he’ll most likely serve a multi-inning reliever role, which checked a box on Seattle’s trade deadline wish list.

“We’ve always liked Matt,” Dipoto said. “He’s got that high-riding fastball. It fits the way we like to go about putting together a pitching plan. Obviously a native of the Seattle area.

“We made it a priority today to acquire all the lifelong fans of the Mariners to try to be with us as we attempt to break the 20-year playoff drought.”

Dipoto and the Mariners “kept their ears to the street” for other, perhaps bigger moves as the deadline neared, and contacted Washington before the Nationals eventually traded superstar outfielder Juan Soto to the Padres on Tuesday morning.

The Mariners weren’t “shying away” as teams requested high asking prices, but Dipoto realized Washington’s ask “was just going to be too much for us.” They soon pivoted to landing Castillo on Friday, plus the pair of Tuesday’s transactions.

Seattle noticed an uptick in contending teams, or “buyers,” before Tuesday’s deadline, which created a “seller’s market,” Dipoto said. Club-controlled relievers were in high demand, and Seattle was “drilled with interest” in young, optional arms like Matt Brash, Matt Festa, and Erik Swanson.

The Mariners dealt four players, including three of their top 10 prospects for Castillo on Friday, including top prospect Noelvi Marte.

“It was more quantity than quality, and if you wanted to buy at the high end, you were gonna pay,” Dipoto said. “We felt like we were at the time in our evolution that it was time to do that. And we did, and I know there were other teams that did something similar.”

The Mariners designated Jack Larsen for assignment on Tuesday to make room for Lamb, and to make room on Seattle’s 40-man roster, left-hander Tommy Milone was released.

On Monday, Seattle claimed Mets outfielder Travis Jankowski off waivers, and designated left-hander Danny Young for assignment.

“We even missed out on a couple of things in the last half-hour that would have been really interesting, should they have come to pass,” Dipoto said. “But that’s usually the way trade deadlines end. The real fun thing that would have put it over the top doesn’t get across the goal line in time, but fun day.”

This story will be updated.