Brett Cecil, LHP
if they ain't gonna put up a Plexi screen, I'll take care of it myself

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Dipoto has really only acknowledged the need for lefty relief pitching and righty offensive balance.  Along with perhaps a "tell" that Dae-Ho Lee is a longshot and a 12-AB kid in Tacoma isn't the first choice.

MLB Trade Rumors sez, Thursday,

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The Mariners have expressed some early interest in free agent lefty Brett Cecil tweetsJon Morosi of the MLB Network, and the M’s are also likely to take a look at southpaw Boone Logan in free agency, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets. Morosi notes that the Mariners are “determined” to add a lefty reliever, although that much has been known for quite some time, as GM Jerry Dipoto has previously expressed his desire to add a left-handed reliever to the back of his bullpen.

Cecil, 30, registered an inflated 3.93 ERA in an injury-shortened season in 2016, but he was much better after returning from a strained left triceps than he was when pitching earlier in the year. And dating back to the 2013 campaign, Cecil has somewhat quietly been a stellar left-handed option for Toronto, pitching to a 2.90 ERA with 11.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 50.2 percent ground-ball rate. In that time, he’s held lefties to a feeble .215/.270/.310 slash but also suppressed opposing right-handers, who batted a mere .218/.306/.350 against Cecil in that four-year span. Cecil’s velocity was down a bit early in the season, but it bounced back as he further distanced himself from from the aforementioned DL stint. Overall, he averaged 92.2 mph on his heater this season.

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Cecil has been the Jays' Charlie Furbush when healthy, consistently racking up K rates of 11-13 and walk rates well within reason.  Delightfully, he does it with a 50-50 mix of wipeout curve ball and stinging little fastball.  A guy like him -- dominant, lefty, and with health questions -- is plus-minus two months from being worth $500K or, in this market, $100M.  Just kidding.  Well, not by much.

Here's a vid.  As you can see, Cecil does not throw a two-plane angular slider like Furbush's; he throws a 12-6 hammer that is effective against right hand batters.  Well, righties do get a better look at his heater than lefties do, but we're just sayin'.  For a guy who murders lefties most foully, he's solid against the one righty in the inning also.

As awkward-looking wagers go, Dr. D will take this one a million miles before he'd have taken the Steve Cishek angle.

BABVA,

Jeff

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Comments

1
The Other Billy Zoom's picture

 "Time for Beany", an early ABC network kid's TV show, which was re-incarnaed a couple times, gives me hope for Brett Cecil.

Over a long career, "Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent" went from a tagalong character to co-star-in-the-title credits.

He was a beast in Toronto.

And, if he wears these glasses, his KHG (keep hitters giggling) rating will be high.

But I stub my teeth trying to say Cecil / Cishek.

zoom

 

3

With the Nuno trade, he's got no lefties at all. He really does need two. 

4
RockiesJeff's picture

Love the thoughts on what the off season might hopefully bring. M's were so close. Have to think if they still had Montgomery (good trade though) and a certain SS from the Reds, they would have made the playoffs. So be it.

Logan has been mostly good here in Colorado....2016 was back to the norm.

Hope you all are doing good!

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