The Seattle Mariners are reportedly cooling on outfielder Nelson Cruz for a number of reasons, chief among them some injuries to their pitching staff. With top prospect Taijuan Walker experiencing some shoulder soreness, and Hisashi Iwakuma out four-to-six weeks (finger) the M's have turned their attention to the mound.
One possible option is off the market now though, as the Baltimore Orioles swooped in and snapped up Ubaldo Jimenez for four years and $50 million. Jimenez is a bit of a risk for the O's, who play in an American League East division loaded with high-powered offenses, but his second half with the Cleveland Indians made him attractive to the birds.
Last season Ubaldo overcame a slow start to finish the season 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 32 starts. While his performance has fluctuated wildly over the years, he has also been very durable throughout his career, starting at least 30 games for six straight seasons.
The Jimenez signing leaves Ervin Santana as the last remaining top-tier pitcher on the market for Seattle, who many have competition in the form of the Toronto Blue Jays. There were reports of a three-year, $27 million offer to Ervin but those rumors were proven false, according to CBSSports.com. That offer would be a lowball compared to other starters like Phil Hughes and Matt Garza, who received much more.
Santana was a high-quality starter in 2013 despite a mediocre record; he posted a 3.24 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a career-high 3.16 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the Royals while going 9-10. He'd be a nice addition for Toronto because of his wealth of American League experience, and his cost of a first round draft pick shouldn't faze the Jays, since they have two protected first-round picks.
The Mariners also have a protected pick, so Santana waiting out the market may have been a clever move. MLB may see a bidding war for the final big pitching chip on the market.
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