The 2018 Sodo Mojo Off-Season Plan

Trade Max Povse, Luis Liberato, and Dan Altavilla to TB for Jake Odorizzi

This isn’t the first time we have talked about Jake Odorizzi and a fit with Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay Rays need to shed payroll and Jake Odorizzi and reliever Alex Colome are the most obvious names. While I wouldn’t rule out Colome as a possibility, the Mariners will likely eye Odorizzi.

Like a lot of Jerry Dipoto acquisitions, Odorizzi has a solid track record but is coming off a disappointing year. Posting a career 3.83 ERA and 4.23 xFIP shows that Odorizzi is a viable back-end starter. His near 8.0 K/9 rate over the last 3 seasons suggest he could be a little more.

Odorizzi misses a decent amount of bats, and usually has solid command. He is an extreme fly ball pitcher, which could the Mariners rotation a good variety of arms. Durability is also a key for Odorizzi, making at least 28 starts in each of the last 4 years.

The home run rate has steadily been climbing, which is a troubling trend. But Odorizzi still has 2 years of club control and is just 28 years old, suggesting a break out isn’t out of the question. Projected to earn $6.5 million in 2018, Odorizzi is a nice alternative to some of the other,older, higher priced free agents this off-season.