Ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte has been dealt from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Seattle Mariners in a waiver trade.
The Blue Jays officially announced the move, adding they will be receiving a player to be named later.
Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune initially reported news of the trade, adding the team designated Donn Roach for assignment to make room for the 31-year-old.
Venditte made his major league debut in 2015 as a member of the Oakland Athletics. He became the first switch pitcher to play in the big leagues since Greg A. Harris in 1995.
A 20th-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2008, Venditte spent six full seasons in the minors before getting his call to The Show. He made four appearances for the A’s in June 2015 before being placed on the disabled list for two months with a right shoulder strain.
He did appear in 26 games for the A’s last season, posting a 4.40 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. The Blue Jays claimed him off waivers in October, and he made eight appearances with the team, posting a 5.19 ERA in just 8.2 innings.
Venditte has spent most of the season with Triple-A Buffalo. His numbers in the minors are solid, with 52 strikeouts in 35 innings. But he has given up a lot of contact, with 39 hits allowed.
The Mariners are just looking for depth in their bullpen at this point in the season. They are still fighting for a second wild-card spot in the American League but enter Saturday trailing the Boston Red Sox by five games.
Seattle relievers rank 14th in the league with a 3.76 ERA. The Mariners’ starting rotation hasn’t been strong thanks in large part to an uncharacteristically poor season from Felix Hernandez, so their best chance to improve the pitching staff is to gamble on one of the most unique relievers in baseball.
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