Kansas City Royals Trade Jarrod Dyson to Seattle Mariners
By David Hill
The Kansas City Royals were looking for depth to their starting rotation. Meanwhile, Jarrod Dyson was a hot topic in trade rumors. Today, Dyson was sent to the Seattle Mariners for starting pitcher Nathan Karns.
After acquiring Jorge Soler in their trade of Wade Davis, the Kansas City Royals had a glut of outfielders on the roster. Even before the trade, the Royals were rumored to be shopping Jarrod Dyson, an impending free agent who has become noted for his glovework and speed.
Meanwhile, the Royals were looking for a depth in their starting rotation. While the first four spots appeared to be set, the fifth starter spot and the long reliever in the bullpen were question marks. However, trying to fill that spot on a budget was going to be a challenge.
Today, the Royals took care of that position, trading Jarrod Dyson to the Seattle Mariners for Nate Karns. For Seattle, it was their second trade of the day, having earlier sent Seth Smith to the Baltimore Orioles for Ubaldo Jimenez. Now that they had a spot open, and an excess of starting pitching, it was a match made in baseball heaven.
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On the Mariners side, they add an element that is lacking from their roster. Dyson has established himself to be an excellent defensive outfielder, with 62 runs saved in the past seven years, despite being a part time player. He has also stolen 176 bases, finishing in the top five in each of the past five years although he only has two seasons with over 300 plate appearances.
In exchange, the Royals get a controllable arm in Karns. Locked up through the arbitration process until 2020, he posted a 6-2 record with a 5.15 ERA and a 1.484 WHiP in 94.1 innings split between the rotation and the bullpen. However, his 4.05 FIP indicates that Karns may have been a lot better than his numbers would indicate.
With the Mariners looking to win now, acquiring Dyson gives them the perfect fourth outfielder and defensive presence for late in the game. Meanwhile, the Royals get that potential fifth starter with upside, or a long man in the bullpen, at minimal cost.
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It was expected that the Kansas City Royals would trade Jarrod Dyson at some point this offseason. That day came today, with the Royals sending him to the Seattle Mariners for Nate Karns.