The Seattle Mariners are reportedly planning to audition a one-time Cy Young winner to potentially bolster their formidable pitching staff.
Seattle has signed former Houston Astros star Dallas Keuchel to a minor league deal, according to Mariners beat reporter Daniel Kramer. Keuchel will reportedly report to the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma.
Keuchel is a two-time All-Star who was once the ace of the Astros rotation in the mid-2010s.
Keuchel enjoyed his best season in 2015. In 33 starts that season, Keuchel had an ERA of 2.48 with an AL-best 20 wins en route to winning the AL Cy Young Award. His last productive season came in 2020, when Keuchel had a sub-2.00 ERA across 11 starts for the Chicago White Sox.
The 36-year-old pitcher has struggled over the past few seasons. Keuchel has played for four teams since his strong 2020 campaign — the White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins. He had a bloated ERA of 6.30 combined over the last three seasons.
But if there’s a team that’s in a position to take a flier on a former ace, it’s the Mariners.
Seattle has a three-headed monster of Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert atop their rotation. Each one of them has the potential this season to join Keuchel on the list of AL Cy Young winners.
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