Mariners bring De Fratus into bullpen mix with one-year deal

By foxsports
Published

The retooling of the Seattle Mariners' roster continued on Wednesday as the M's signed reliever Justin De Fratus to a one-year contract for 2016. 

In the weeks since taking over for Jack Zduriencik, new GM Jerry Dipoto has quickly put his imprint on the team's roster through trades and free agent decisions. He dealt away relievers Danny Farquhar and Tom Wilhelmsen in packages that landed Seattle pitcher Nathan Karns and outfielder Leonys Martin, among other players, creating openings in the roster for more new additions. 

In De Fratus, the M's picked up a reliever that should presumably be one of their primary arms from the right side in 2016. Dipoto said as much in a media address after the trade, as quoted by MLB.com's Greg Johns: 

"Justin gives us another young, Major League-ready arm in the mix for our bullpen," general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "He brings us one step closer to the type of depth we believe is required to be truly competitive in this league. Justin remains a young pitcher with good stuff who has been both durable and resilient as a Major Leaguer, while also being just one year removed from an excellent 2014 season."

De Fratus, 28, had strong seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2013 and 2014 before stumbling a bit in 2015. In 80 innings of work in '15, he posted a 5.51 ERA and was eventually designated for assignment in October. The rough season came after De Fratus pitched to a 3.86 ERA in just under 47 innings of work in 2013 and a 2.39 ERA just under 53 innings in 2014.