Mariners release right-handed reliever Caminero
Published 6:15 pm Friday, December 16, 2016
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners, in an anticipated move, released right-handed reliever Arquimedes Caminero in order to allow him to pursue an opportunity with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Central League.
The News Tribune reported Dec. 10 that the club had already agreed to sell Caminero’s contract. The move suggests the Mariners saw Caminero, 29, as a long shot to win a spot next year in their bullpen and as possessing limited trade value.
Caminero was under club control for four more seasons, but he was also out of options, which means he must clear waivers in order to be sent again to the minors.
The move means the Mariners now have one opening on their 40-man roster.
The Mariners acquired Caminero on Aug. 6 from Pittsburgh for minor-league pitchers Jake Brentz and Pedro Vasquez. Caminero was 1-1 with a 3.66 ERA in 18 games for the Mariners and is 7-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 149 career games.
Caminero is the second Mariners player to head for Japan since the season ended. The Mariners previously outfielder Stefen Romero in order to allow him to sign with the Orix Buffaloes.
Prospect rankings
Baseball Prospectus released its ranking of the Mariners’ Top 10 prospects earlier this week, and it closely resembles the Baseball America rankings, which came out in late November.
The most notable difference is Baseball Prospectus had outfielder Tyler O’Neill ranked No. 1 with outfielder Kyle Lewis at No. 2. Baseball America had it the other way around.
Lewis, 21, is generally viewed as having the higher ceiling, but is he also recovering from a major knee injury and subsequent surgery. He isn’t expected to return to the field until June.
O’Neill, 21, was the organization’s minor-league hitter of the year after a breakout season at Double-A Jackson. He will get an invitation to big-league camp, but he is expected to open the season at Triple-A Tacoma.
The rest of the Prospectus Top 10: LHP Luiz Gohara, RHP Max Povse, RHP Andrew Moore, RHP Nick Neidert, 1B Dan Vogelbach, OF Mitch Haniger, OF Brayan Hernandez and SS Drew Jackson.
The rest of the Baseball America Top 10: Gohara, Neidert, Haniger, Moore, Jackson, Povse, RHP Dan Altavilla and Vogelbach.
Climbing support for Edgar
Maybe, just maybe, the rest the baseball world is beginning to realize just how good Edgar Martinez was during his 18-year career with the Mariners.
Martinez, 53, is in his eighth season (of a possible 10) on the Hall of Fame ballot and, from early indications, appears poised to make a significant move toward the 75-percent threshold required for election. He had 43.4 percent a year ago.
The balloting by more than 400 qualified electors from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America continues through the end the month. Results won’t be announced until Jan. 18.
Many electors, however, reveal their selections in advance, and Ryan Thibodaux closely tracks those announcements in an online spreadsheet at http://bit.ly/bbhof2017.
As of Friday morning, Thibodaux had recorded 50 ballots, and Martinez was tracking at 64 percent and showing a plus-8 over ballots revealed last year by those same voters.
It’s generally believed that Martinez, the Mariners’ current hitting coach, must reach roughly 60 percent this season to have a realistic shot at gaining election within his 10 years of eligibility.
