Mariners Reliever Yohan Ramirez Traded to Guardians

Former Rule 5 Draft pick Yohan Ramirez has been traded from the Seattle Mariners to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for cash considerations

Yohan Ramirez, a right-handed reliever who experienced a balance of highs and lows during his time in Seattle, was DFA’d last week before being traded to Cleveland on Tuesday morning. Originally a Rule 5 Draft pick from the Astros in 2019, the Mariners hoped Ramirez could compete for their opening at closer after trading Edwin Diaz the year prior.

Ramirez made his MLB debut with the Mariners during the shortened 2020 season, and showed the looks of being a valuable piece in Seattle’s bullpen moving forward: he went 20.1 innings with a 2.61 ERA, 26 strikeouts, and collected the first three saves of his career.

Unfortunately, walks have plagued Ramirez throughout his first three seasons. He walked 20 during the 2020 season, 12 in 2021 in 27.2 innings pitched, and has walked 6 this season in just 8.1 innings. For a Mariners team frequently clinging onto short leads once the bullpen is called upon, baserunners allowed via the free pass simply can’t be a part of any of their relievers’ profiles.

For a brief time, Yohan Ramirez showed signs of having a similar ceiling as the aforementioned Edwin Diaz, but he’s ultimately never been able to reach the threshold of Diaz’s upper 90’s fastball and controllable slider.

For the Mariners, new relievers Penn Murfee and Sergio Romo have been effective, and youngster Matt Brash has recently been notified that he’ll be transitioning from the starting rotation to the bullpen. Due to these new additions, Ramirez’s presence in the Seattle bullpen was simply no longer necessary.

Yohan Ramirez is the second fringe Mariners player to be dealt in the past week, joining infielder Donovan Walton, who was traded to the Giants for prospect Prelander Berroa last Wednesday.