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Mainframe grok of NL short man David Phelps later in the afternoon.  'Till then we start with some of the Denizens:

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SABRMatt  Don't know who they are yet...this isn't the type of asset I'd want to give anything too close to the big leagues in terms of prospects for...so...let's see who it is. But Phelps will definitely help the Mariner bullpen find some stability and take the pressure off of badly-overused options like Vincent and Pazos.

Supposedly, one of the minor leaguers is a center fielder and the other three are pitchers.

Dang...FOUR players for Phelps?

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Ya, which is the M's advertising Phelps for a high-leverage role in the 7th and 8th.  Last year Phelps had the #11 WAR in the National League among relievers, with the #10 FIP.  This year his K's are down from 12 to 10 per game but he's actually throwing harder.  So we're talking about a pitcher the M's see as a playoff factor.

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Again SABRMatt:

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Might seem like three buckets of balls to us and that's cool.  :- )  Glad we didn't cough up Tyler O'Neill or similar for a relief pitcher.  But there was some reason the Marlins drew a line in the sand and wanted a handful of $2 lotto tickets back...

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G sez

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Brayan Hernandez - like you said, high-risk CFer several years away.  Problem is, if he shows out he can get back a lot more.  It's selling low on his value now rather than waiting a few more months.

Brandon Miller - one of the precious few starters the Ms had in the system prior to this draft who might have turned into anything. His velo isn't anything to write home about but he's got the frame and the pitches to be a sturdy starter, or get moved to the pen to get his fastball to play up.

Lucas Schiraldi - dreams of being a middle-reliever in another 3 years.

Pablo Lopez - a starter now but around the zone too much - I expect a move to the pen for him too.

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So yeah, Dipoto is still trying to get the low-minors talent moved to the current squad.  I don't think Jerry is maximizing his prospects, and I don't think he cares.  He wants what he wants and he's willing to pay for it.  Whether that Gillicks the system by the time he's gone is a different question, but right now he's basically picking His Guys out of the minors and trading the rest.  That doesn't always work - Luis Gohara is up to AA now as a better pitcher than any still in the Ms system save maybe one, and the Ms got a broken pitcher in return who has thrown zero innings this year for us.

And again, Dipoto doesn't really care.  It's now or never for this group, so he's moving pieces up to try to make Now happen, regardless of getting "full value."  Gohara is a Paxton-level arm that Seattle could miss desperately in 2 years, just as Brayan Hernandez has a chance to be a multi-WAR CFer in 2021.  Jerry's not here in 2021 if this all doesn't work now, so plundering Seattle's lower talent makes sense for him.

I just hope it makes more sense for the team in hindsight than Bavasi's deals did.  Dipoto's way to restock is via trade, not by internal growth.  As long as the trades keep providing Seguras and Hanigers and Gamels, and he keeps the Moores and Lewises to be able to fill out the rest of the roster with at least some system promotions, then burning down the lower minors every 6 months seems like a valid option - for a while.

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MLB.com gave it as our #6 prospect, #16, #22 and N/A.  That's a nice selection of prospects to give Miami but it still leaves us with #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #7, #8 ... #14, #15, #17, #18 ... #21, #23, #24  ;- )   and whichever three prospects now move into our top 30.

We assume this leaves the M's powder dry if they are going to angle for Sonny Gray-type action.

National pundit Bob Nightengale had said:

The #Marlins thrilled by return for Phelps:CF Brayan Hernandez, 3 fringe pitching prospects Brandon Miller, Pablo Lopez, Lucas Schiraldi  Here is that Twitter feed in which some fans protest the quality the M's gave upa

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Question is whether Phelps is going to break into the rotation that has been leading the majors in bullpen ERA for two months.  First game back from the All-Star Break we had a slim lead and needed the game, Servais going with 

7IP - Zych now feeling like back-to-back games

8IP - Vincent having a boggle season

9IP - Sugar

And that's kind of been the set, since.  James Pazos gets the 8th or 9th if there are two lefties impending or if somebody's tired.  Scrabble and Cishek are #5-6.  It was two months ago the Servais decided Vincent and Diaz were going to pitch with a lead, period, and since the roles were set the bullpen took off.  Is Phelps a de facto 8th-inning safety net for Vincent?

So where does Phelps fit in?  Hm.  Dipoto is on the record as believing that a 6.1 IP start from your rotation is all the difference in the world; does this give him the luxury to accept 5.2 IP from our two rookies and then carry the ball to the end zone for them?  And whence Guy Art Dough?

 Here is Dipoto's statement on Phelps thru the TNT.

Enjoy,

Dr D