The Mariners made a second trade today. On the heels of the Seth Smith-Yovani Gallardo deal, they have acquired Jarrod Dyson from the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Nate Karns.
The speedy Dyson, who is somehow 32 already, hit .278/.340/.388 with 30 stolen bases in 107 games last year. That was the best season of his big league career so far, and his 337 plate appearances were the most he has ever had. Despite being primarily a part timer in Kansas City, he has had at least 30 stolen bases for four of the past five seasons. He’ll line up in center field for the M’s, who will feature a speedy, defense-first outfield along with some combination of Leonys Martin, Ben Gamel, Mitch Haniger and Guillermo Heredia.
In Karns, the Royals get a four year veteran who has pitched from the rotation and the pen. Karns has a 4.41 ERA in 54 games, 46 of them as a starter, with a K/BB ratio of 270/111 in 265.1 innings.