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Rays trade Smyly to Mariners in 4-player deal

Kim Klement / Reuters

The Seattle Mariners didn't wait long to deal Mallex Smith.

After trading for the outfielder from the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, the Mariners shipped him, along with minor-league shortstop Carlos Vargas and left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for left-hander Drew Smyly.

"We have been clear that one of our top priorities this offseason was to continue to bolster our starting rotation," general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a press release. "Today's moves allowed us to add an experienced pitcher to our starting group. Drew took the ball 30 times last season, threw over 175 innings, and is a proven performer in the American League. He's a good fit for our club."

The trade is the 11th in two months by Dipoto, who's trying to build a contender in a tough American League West division.

He acquired Smyly less than a week after trading for right-hander Yovani Gallardo, which will give the Mariners a different look in their rotation to begin 2017.

Opening Day rotations

2016 rotation 2017 rotation (projected)
Felix Hernandez Felix Hernandez
Hisashi Iwakuma Hisashi Iwakuma
Wade Miley James Paxton
Taijuan Walker Yovani Gallardo
Nathan Karns Drew Smyly

Smyly will join his third big-league club in six seasons, previously spending time with the Rays and Detroit Tigers. Over the course of his career, he owns a 3.74 ERA during 156 appearances - 85 of which have been starts.

"You have to give up something to get something," Rays senior VP of baseball operations Erik Neander said in a statement about trading Smyly. "The type of return and talent we got we thought was something that made sense for us and we are eager to see how it plays out from here."

Smith, 23, made his major-league debut with the Braves last season, appearing in 72 games and slashing .238/.316/.365. The speedy outfielder also swiped 16 bases in 24 attempts.

The 25-year-old Yarbrough was the 13th-best prospect in the Mariners system, according to MLB Pipeline, after going 12-4 with a 2.95 ERA in Double-A.

Vargas, 17, recently hit .242/.344/.391 in the Dominican Summer League, to go along with seven home runs and 35 RBIs.

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