Former Mariners star reliever dealt in gut-wrenching Astros trade signs with D-backs

As we reach the halfway point of February, the Seattle Mariners have seen their name in the headlines all winter long, but not in a good way. To date, the club has at one point or another been tied to just about every single top-tier position player on the open market. Yet, they've come away mostly empty-handed.

So far, the vast majority of the actual news surrounding the Mariners has been where some of their former players have signed. Just from last year's team alone, Josh Rojas, JT Chargois and Yimi Garcia have all found new homes this offseason.

Dialing back the clock just a little bit further, Kendall Graveman, who spent time in Seattle in both 2020 and 2021, has signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ex-Mariners relief stud signs with the Diamondbacks

Graveman's Mariners tenure wasn't perfect the entire time, as his 11-game stint in 2020 resulted in a 5.79 ERA through 18 2/3 innings of work. He gets a bit of a pass, though, as the COVID-shortened campaign saw so many players around the league underperform.

The next season, the right-hander bounced back in a massive way. In 30 games, he surrendered just three earned runs in 33 innings, which was good for a sparkling 0.82 ERA. He even logged the first 10 saves of his big league career, striking out over 9 batters per nine innings for the first time ever.

But then the unthinkable happened. Despite the fact the '21 Mariners were on their way to 90 wins by season's end, they sent Graveman packing at the trade deadline. He was shipped to the Houston Astros (along with Rafael Montero) in exchange for infielder Abraham Toro and relief pitcher Joe Smith.

Graveman continued to look impressive through 23 games in Houston, ultimately finishing his 2021 season with a combined 53 games, a 1.77 ERA, 3.19 FIP and 240 ERA+ that put his overall production at 140 percent above league-average. That'll play. But it was a clubhouse killer for the Mariners and took away a high-leverage arm they could have used down the stretch before they missed the playoffs by two games.

This past year, Graveman turned a second stint on the Astros into another guaranteed big-league deal with the Diamondbacks. He'll join Josh Naylor, Randal Grichuk, Seth Martinez and Corbin Burnes as the club's big additions this offseason. Through and through, the D-backs have had the offseason the Mariners (and their fans) wish they had.