The Blue Jays trade 2019 innings leader Trent Thornton to the Seattle Mariners for infielder Mason McCoy
1 month ago
TRADE ALERT!
The Blue Jays have traded Trent Thornton, who led the team in innings in 2019, to the Seattle Mariners for minor league infielder Mason McCoy. Thornton had been designated for assignment on July 21st, so it was always likely he was going to be picked up on waivers or traded.
About McCoy:
We’ll start with McCoy. The 28-year-old infielder isn’t having a great season with Seattle’s Triple-A team, as he’s slashing .243/.330/.407 with 11 homers in 383 plate appearances. He had an 11.8 BB% (the highest since 2017, his draft year), with a 29.5 K%, the highest in his career.
McCoy had a solid season in Triple-A last season, hitting a career-high 21 homers and slashing .256/.332/.473 in 503 plate appearances. It’s worth noting that Seattle’s team plays in the Pacific Coast League, which tends to put up wonky home run totals.
It’s also worth noting that McCoy is apparently an elite defender at shortstop, as you can read below from someone who watches the Mariners’ minor league system.
McCoy will head to Triple-A, per Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.
So long, Trent Thornton:
This season in Triple-A, the 29-year-old right-handed pitcher has a 4.18 ERA and a 5.52 FIP in 28 innings pitched. He has struggled with his command, as he had a 13.7 BB% compared to a 19.8 K%. Thornton also spent some time in the majors this season, owning a 1.69 ERA and a 1.97 FIP in 5.1 innings. Interestingly, he had a 22.7 K% and has an impressive 4.5 BB, albeit in a small sample size.
As you may know, I’ve been a pretty big fan of Thornton for a while. He always had the tools to be a serviceable reliever in a bullpen. He has solid velocity (averaged 94 mph on the fastball this season), has great spin on the slider, and usually showed average command, minus this season in Buffalo.
Thornton may be a case of “another organization will unlock his potential”, but DFA’ing him makes sense, even if he does figure it out in Seattle’s organization.
So long, Trent Thornton. Everyone at Blue Jays Nation wishes you the best of luck.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Brennan_L_D.
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