Former Mariners pitcher traded to Astros in what could tilt AL West scales

The Astros acquired LHP Yushi Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Jake Bloss, a starting pitcher who was a third-round draft pick in 2023. Kikuchi was one of the more enticing rental rotation pieces along with Jack Flaherty and Tyler Anderson and will add some stability to the Astros' chaotic starting pitcher picture.

Kikuchi is pitching to a 4.75 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over 115.2 innings this year, right in line with his career averages. Debuting with Seattle back in 2019, he's struggled to be an impactful arm and has posted an ERA <4.00 only once in his career (2023). Nonetheless, he's still got some value and his numbers may be selling him a little short. His FIP of 3.64 and K/BB figure of 4.33 are both the best marks he's had in a full season. Additionally, his strikeout and walk rates are both in the top quartile of qualified pitchers.

The Astros traded for former Mariners SP, Yusei Kikuchi

Regardless, it's doubtful that the Astros are expecting him to be the next Randy Johnson or Sandy Koufax. With the division race as hot as ever, they just need him to be decent. The Astros have four starters on the 60-day IL: Cristian Javier, José Urquidy, Lance McCullers Jr., and Luis Garcia. With almost an entire rotation sidelined for the long term, Kikuchi will essentially be a placeholder and is likely being treated as a pure rental play.

What does this mean for the Mariners? So far, Seattle is lapping Houston when it comes to roster additions. The Astros and Mariners ultimately have opposite problems; Seattle needs better offense and has excellent starters while Houston has top-tier offense with an injury-plagued pitching staff. With deals made to pick up Randy Arozarena, Justin Turner, and Yimi Garcia, Seattle has made far more meaningful moves to fix existing weaknesses. Turner and Arozarena especially may serve to potentially fill in critical roster gaps in the lineup while Garcia will help bolster an already fearsome bullpen. Kikuchi, on the other hand, could be great but his ERA+ of 85 leaves a little to be desired.

Only time will tell how these deals will work out and both teams still have a little under 24 hours to cross the final T's and dot the final I's before locking in their rosters as they are in preparation for the postseason. Assuming both teams are finished with their work thus far, it's my humble opinion that fans should rest easy that the M's have come out on top in this year's deadline.