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The M's gave $1.25 in international money to the Yankees for two months' worth of Adam Warren, RHP.  Warren has those eight weeks remaining on a $3M salary before free agency.  In 2017, he'd thrown a clean 8.5 K, 2.3 BB, 0.6 slash line with a 2.35 ERA.  Before the year, Shandler at Baseball HQ was a little down on him, writing,

Former middling long-reliever found home in shorter stints, posting best stats and skills of career.  Here's why it won't happen again:  (1) strikeout rate not supported by SwStr%; (2) lucky BABIP drove ERA down; (3) subpar 1st-strike % dove as season went along.

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So 2018 occurred and Warren fired an 11.1 strikeout, 3.6 walk, 0.9 homer rate (both 2017 and 2018 are to be compared to Nicasio's 11.4 / 0.9 / 1.1 and previous levels of expectation at 9.5 K / 3.5 BB / 0.7 HR).

In the M's press release, Dipoto said that Warren had merely gotten lost in the Yankee shuffle:

"Adam Warren's been a very good big league pitcher throughout the course of his career," Dipoto said. "He kind of tends to get lost in the shuffle [with the Yankees], but he's really good and it's not the first time we've tried to acquire him, it's just the first time we've been successful in trying."

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But the release tended to characterize both Warren and LHP Zach Duke as "depth" behind Nicasio and Pazos.  So where they fit exactly, you'll have to tell me.

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FELIX ON NOTICE?

Meanwhile Felix remains in the rotation "as of now":

Mariners manager Scott Servais declined to commit firmly on Monday to whether Felix Hernandez will remain in his rotation after another rough start on Saturday in Anaheim.

Hernandez's next scheduled turn is Thursday against the Blue Jays at Safeco Field.

"As of now, we'll stay with the rotation. That could change," Servais said prior to Monday's series opener with the Astros. "But as of now, that's where we're at."

We presume that's because the M's plan on acquiring both Archer and Eovaldi in a blockbuster mega-deal.

BABVA,

Dr D