Mariners send LHP Tyler Pike to Atlanta to complete Povse trade

The Mariners officially completed the Max Povse/Rob Whalen trade yesterday, naming Tyler Pike as the PTBNL.

The addition of Pike leaves us with this final trade package:

Mariners Receive

• RHP Rob Whalen
• RHP Max Povse

Mariners Send

• OF Alex Jackson
• LHP Tyler Pike

For the most part, I’m completely fine with how this trade turned out. There was a part of me that feared the second piece would be a Boog Powell or a Ryan Yarbrough or another mid-tier prospect, but the Braves appear to be high enough on Alex Jackson’s potential upside to make him nearly the entirety of the trade.

Pike, a 3rd-round pick out of Winter Haven HS back in 2012, never managed to take much of a step forward in his five years with the organization. In 2016, Pike posted a 4.49 FIP across 125.2 IP in his second stint in High-A ball. Improved secondary stuff helped him to a 9.60 K/9, the highest mark of his career since rookie ball, but the command issues persisted (4.87 BB/9).

If the secondary stuff continues to get better, he could potentially carve out a role as a lefty reliever, but the ceiling is low and overall the Mariners should be very happy with how this trade turned out (you know, barring Alex Jackson making a sudden 180 that turns him into a juggernaut).