Thursday July 31, 2008

The trade deadline came and went on Thursday and the Mariners made one small but expected move dealing left-handed relief man Arthur Rhodes to the Florida Marlins in exchange for minor league pitcher Gaby Hernandez. 

The bigger story on the day was the moves the Mariners “didn’t” make.  GM Lee Pelekoudis stated earlier in the week that his team was not in salary dump mode, and he would only make moves that made his team better.  So..one would believe that today the right deal was not there.  I would expect to see Jarrod Washburn be placed on waivers at some point and potentially moved in a waiver deal. 

The big decision on the day was Raul Ibanez.  The M’s ultimately decided by keeping Ibanez that they value the two draft picks they would receive as compensation better than any offer another club made.  The M’s would receive those two picks if Ibanez departs via free agency as a type-A free agent after the 2008 season.  I also think the Mariners chose to play it safe because they want the teams 2009 general manager to make the decisions on some of their personnel.  Good call in my opinion.

Back to Gaby Hernandez.  Hernandez 22, was a third-round pick by the New York Mets in 2004.  He was acquired by the Marlins before the 2006 season in the Paul LaDuca trade.  Gaby actually had a shot at the number 5 starter spot in spring training for Florida this season before getting sent down to Triple-A  Albuquerque late.  Hernandez struggled early in the season going 2-8 with a 7.24 ERA in 13 starts.  He then spent a month on the DL with an oblique injury before coming back at the Double-A level to get back on track.  Since then he has posted a 3-0 record.

Scouts say Hernandez throws a low to mid 90′s fastball, an average to above average breaking ball, and an above average change.  At the still young age of 22, some think Hernandez maybe be ready to pitch in the big leagues in some capacity as early as 2009.

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