3 years agoThe Seattle Mariners have traded pitchers Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero to the Houston Astros in exchange for infielder Abraham Toro and right-hander Joe Smith. The Astros upgrade their bullpen by acquiring Seattle's top reliever in Graveman. He has been fantastic this season, posting a 0.82 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 34:8 K:BB across 33 innings in 2021. Graveman will lose some fantasy value, as he's expected to serve as the top setup man for Astros closer to Ryan Pressly. Montero was designated for assignment. Toro is under team control for four more seasons and will have a chance to become the Mariners starting third baseman of the future. The 24-year-old has slashed .211/.287/.385 across 122 plate appearances in 2021. With the Mariners moving on from Graveman, Paul Sewald will likely step into the closer's role and is the reliever to roster in Seattle's bullpen. Sewald owns a 2.30 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and a 54:12 K:BB across 31 1/3 innings in his resurgent 2021 season.--Brad Camara - RotoBaller
Source: Brian McTaggart