Mariners add lefty to rotation competition
Greg Johns
@gregjohnsmlbSEATTLE -- In a move to add some rotation depth, the Mariners claimed 23-year-old left-hander Nick Margevicius off waivers from the Padres on Friday. To clear a roster spot, reliever Reggie McClain was designated for assignment.
Margevicius made the difficult jump from Class A Advanced to the Majors last year with the Padres and went 2-6 with a 6.41 ERA in 12 starts over the first 2 1/2 months of the season before being sent down to Double-A Amarillo.
The soft-tossing lefty was 4-4 with a 4.30 ERA in 12 starts for Amarillo and then pitched five games in relief after being recalled by the Padres for the final month, finishing his rookie campaign with a 2-6 record and 6.79 ERA in his Major League appearances. He was designated for assignment by the Padres a week ago to open a 40-man roster spot for the re-signing of reliever Craig Stammen.
Margevicius, a seventh-round Draft pick by the Padres in 2017, relies on command of a fastball that typically ranges from 88-90 mph to go along with a slider, curve and developing changeup.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder provides more starting depth for the Mariners, who have Marco Gonzales, Yusei Kikuchi, Justus Sheffield and Kendall Graveman penciled into the rotation. Rookie Justin Dunn is the early favorite to be the fifth starter, but if the Mariners decide he needs more time, Margevicius joins Nestor Cortes and Phillips Valdez as the top current challengers.
McClain, 27, went 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in 14 outings for the Mariners in 2019, including two starts as an opener. He posted a 2.23 ERA in 72 2/3 innings in 29 appearances (including three starts) over three different Minor League levels last year, making the jump from Class A Advanced Modesto to Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma after converting to the bullpen.
With the moves Friday, the Mariners¡¯ 40-man roster remains full.
When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster and 25-man roster, if he was on that. Within seven days of the transaction, the player must either be traded, released or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.