M'S ADD QUALITY LEFTY DREW SMYLY
The Seattle Mariners acquired pitcher Drew Smyly from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Mallex Smith, infielder Carlos Vargas and pitcher Ryan Yarbrough.
What does it give the Seattle Mariners
The Mariners appear to be in more of a win-now mode these days, which explains why they shipped out pitching prospect Luis Gohara in a deal with Atlanta to land Smith (only to flip the latter to Tampa Bay to land Smyly). Solid left-hander Smyly should benefit greatly from pitching in Seattle and is projected to slide into the No. 2 spot in the rotation (behind perennial ace Felix Hernandez). This deal should help Seattle a lot in 2017.
What does it give the Tampa Bay Rays
This is an interesting deal for the Rays, since you could argue they needed Smyly more than Smith or Vargas at this time. That said, Tampa Bay did receive good value for a slightly underperforming starter. Smith is blocked by Kevin Kiermaier in center field with the Rays, so he could be moved to an outfield corner (or be part of yet another trade). Vargas has huge upside but is a long way from MLB. Yarbrough is a middling pitching prospect.
Fantasy impact
Smith has the most fantasy value among the names dealt here, but his positional uncertainty is now a problem. Still, he fantasy leaguers should take a flier on him in most drafts this year. Smyly's fantasy stock is on the rise with the move from Tampa Bay to Seattle, while Vargas is a long-range (with a major stress on the word 'LONG') prospect that should now be on the fantasy radar. Yarbrough's value is minimal, at best.
