Mariners' latest DFA closed the book on a forgotten Mets trade that nobody won

The Jerry Dipoto era of the Seattle Mariners has been so transactional that no single transaction exists in isolation. There are all the transactions that led that each transaction, which is why the recent DFA of Rhylan Thomas brings back memories of Ryne Stanek.

In case anyone missed it, Thomas was designated for assignment on Sunday as a corresponding move for the Mariners claiming left-hander José Suarez from the Atlanta Braves. The team has seven days to trade him or place him on waivers. His time with the organization is likely over either way.

That time began when the Mariners acquired Thomas, a former 11th-round draft pick, from the New York Mets in July of 2024. Stanek went the other way, which some saw as a win for the Mets as they sought to upgrade their bullpen.

Rhylan Thomas never cleared the low bar set by the Mariners' trade of Ryne Stanek

The notion that adding Stanek was a win for the Mets was at least a lukewarm take. He'd had something of a late-blooming breakout for the Houston Astros squad that won the World Series in 2022, but his profile was mostly that of a volatile reliever best used in low- or medium-leverage spots.

As if on cue, Stanek went from a 4.38 ERA as a Mariner to a 6.06 ERA as a Met. He apparently impressed the Mets enough — a solid postseason surely helped — to warrant a $4.5 million salary on a fresh deal, but it's been pretty much all downhill for the 34-year-old righty since then. His last 82 appearances have yielded a 5.70 ERA, with the only real silver lining being that he's currently pitching for his hometown St. Louis Cardinals.

For his part, Thomas was a fringe prospect when he landed with Seattle in 2024 and subsequently hit walls in his efforts to raise his profile. Even in creeping into the club's top 30 prospects for Baseball America this year, their endorsement of him was less than glowing: "Thomas is a reliable, contact-oriented bench piece and outfield depth option for the Mariners in 2026."

This was notably before the 26-year-old hit .486 during spring training. Because of the World Baseball Classic, though, that had to do with the watered-down competition level. He was never a serious candidate to make the roster.

Upon returning to Triple-A Tacoma, it was as if Thomas was tempting the Mariners to conclude they had seen enough. He slashed just .260/.313/.328 in 31 games, with a hard-hit rate of just 20.3 percent. The writing was on the wall that with the bullpen badly in need of help, his roster spot was not worth protecting.

Given Thomas' youth and his .305 career average in the minor leagues, he certainly deserves a fresh start with a clearer path to MLB playing time. And who knows? Maybe it'll help that he now has two teams to prove wrong.

For the Mariners and Mets, though, the book on the trade they made in 2024 is closed. Maybe neither fully regrets doing it, but its only legacy is that it basically doesn't have a legacy.

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