The 2015 season is dead, but still warm, and there has already been a major trade in the offseason as the Rangers' AL West foes Seattle Mariners were part of a six-player deal with the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, signaling the offseason hot stove being officially open for business.
The Mariners bolstered their already formidable pitching rotation by acquiring young pitcher Nate Karns, adding him to a rotation that already features Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma, who is a free agent this winter but is expected to consider a return to Seattle.
Karns was a rookie for the Rays last year and put together a pretty nice year before being shut down in early September.
In all, he went 7-5 with a 3.67 ERA as a somewhat old rookie starter at age 27. The Mariners also scored a prospect who they think can be their leadoff man of the future in Boog Powell, who along with Karns was the centerpiece of the deal according to Mariners new GM Jerry Dipoto, the former Angels GM.
The Mariners gave up three big-leaguers in infielder Brad Miller, power hitting first baseman Logan Morrison and relief pitcher Danny Farquhar.
