Mariners may not have missed with Erasmo Ramirez

On July 28, the Mariners reacquired pitcher Erasmo Ramirez from the Tampa Bay Rays. The move prompted frustration from the fanbase. We wanted a starting pitcher, but not this starting pitcher. We wanted Sonny Gray or Ervin Santana or someone who would complement James Paxton. and push us to the postseason.

A reliever who can start was not that pitcher we envisioned. Especially the reliever/starter who has a meltdown history with the Mariners. In 47 games (35 starts) with Seattle from 2012-2014, he went 7-12 with a 4.62 ERA.

So when the Mariners brought him back, no one was very stoked. Myself included. Why not make a run at a real starter, instead of trying to just get better rags to rag tag the rotation?

Well, that was the sentiment until Erasmo Ramirez’s last two starts. In both he’s gone six innings, one earned run (two total). His batting average against is .125 and the opposing hitters have an OPS of .382. Those numbers are brilliant.

Now obviously Ramirez is not the type to put these numbers up night in and night out, but if they can get him to a spot where he’s making it 5-6 innings, with 2-3 runs, the offense and bullpen should be able to carry him.

He was originally only making it 2 effective innings, and that’s what prompted all the concern, but to his credit, he has now become a viable option, and you don’t exactly have to fear that the bullpen is automatically going to get overworked trying to salvage the carnage Ramirez left behind.

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The Mariners are just a half game back of a wild card spot, and if Ramirez can stay effective and hold down the fort while Paxton and Hernandez take their time to recover, that would be a huge help for the M’s.

So who knows? Maybe the trade was a bust, maybe it wasn’t, but for now, we may need to give Jerry Dipoto and Erasmo Ramirez a little more credit than we have been.