Report: Mariners Claim Reliever Dario Alvarez from Cubs

Now this is more like it.

Jerry Dipoto’s been pretty busy the last couple days, scouring the market for relief pitching. After adding Ashton Goudeau and Erik Goeddel, the Mariners have claimed left-handed reliever Dario Alvarez from the Chicago Cubs, per MLBTradeRumors.

As of now, there is no official word from the Mariners on the claim, but we should hear something soon.

Mariners fans should recognize Alvarez from his time with the Texas Rangers in 2016 and 2017. Alvarez was dominant in 2016 with a 2.76 xFIP and an outrageous 13.84 K/9. In 2017, however, he struggled with his mechanics and posted a high xFIP (6.23) and walk rate (7.71). Those struggles not only hampered him in the Majors, but at AAA Round Rock as well.

The 29-year-old southpaw adds more pitching to depth to an organization that, for obvious reasons, desperately needs it. For a while, the Mariners had only 37 of their 40-man roster spots filled. This move will take up one of those spots, but still leaves Dipoto with room to add even more depth over the next week leading up to Opening Day.

The two left-handed relievers currently projected to make the 25-man roster, James Pazos and Marc Rzepczynski, have not been the most reliable in performance. When it comes to health, you can’t seem to depend on anyone in the Mariners organization. So adding Alvarez is an absolute no-brainer for Dipoto and company.

Something else to consider is trade value. If the Mariners bomb early in 2018, Rzepczynski could be a very useful trade chip for Seattle . While the organization has several interesting options in the minors, they did not have much in the way of left-handed specialist.

Next: Mariners Should Look at Goodwin for OF Depth

We will likely see Alvarez at some point in the 2018 season. When that time comes, hopefully he can reclaim the success he had in 2016. That would be a huge get for an already-impressive Mariners bullpen.