The Mariners signed Gordon Beckham & claimed Mike Morin & Cam Perkins and we can’t ignore them anymore

In our sorrow this weekend we somewhat overlooked a transaction, and while it may not be the one we’d all hoped for, any addition to the pile is still valuable.

Depending on how you look at it, Mike Morin has been a decent or atrocious reliever over the last four years. Over his first four seasons the 26 year-old posted an FIP of 3.38 with a solid 22.3 K% and looked like a respectable middle reliever. He’s also put up a 4.61 ERA in his career and is coming off a 2017 where he was waived by the Angels and struggled to deliver results for the Royals after being claimed there. Morin sports a fastball in the mid-90s and a low-70s changeup, an even more extreme version of the Fernando Rodney repertoire, arrows not included.

The next move came Monday morning, and was just confirmed this afternoon:

Cam Perkins looks like a dream outfielder at first glance. 6’5, 195 with good speed and enough defensive prowess to man all three outfield positions, Perkins hasn’t been able to get over the AAAA hump. He made his MLB debut in 2017 for the Phillies after posting a 131 wRC+ in his third stint at AAA. Unfortunately, the now-27 year-old hit a major wall, putting up just a .182/.237/.273 line. Perkins has experience at first base and was a third baseman in college, but unless his bat takes a step forward he’ll be organizational depth at this stage for Seattle. The defense has occasionally flashed:

Lastly, INF/UTIL Gordon Beckham returns on a minor league deal.

Beckham spent most of the season in Tacoma last year and seems like a good bet to do so again. You can never have enough utility depth, and with Seattle putting out the highest number of minor league free agents in the league this offseason, there will be plenty of holes to fill.