Busy Mariners Get James Pazos From Yankees

THE DEAL

The busy Mariners, who earlier in the night made a five-player swap with the Rays, exchanged pitchers with the Yankees, with righthander Zack Littell going to New York for hard-throwing lefty reliever James Pazos.

“We’re excited to add James to the Mariners,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a news release. “He brings us a lefthanded power arm in the bullpen that we’ve been looking for with a mid-to-upper 90s fastball and a swing-and-miss curveball.”

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MARINERS ACQUIRE James Pazos, lhp Age: 25

A 13th-round pick in 2012 out of San Diego, Pazos has been given opportunities to stick in the Yankees’ bullpen the past two seasons, but has not thrown enough strikes to gain manager Joe Girardi’s trust. Pazos has a power arm, with a mid-90s fastball and a breaking ball that can be tough on lefthanders but which doesn’t land for strikes often enough. He’s been difficult to hit in the minors, posting a 2.13 ERA with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings, and at Triple-A he’s struck out 78 in 60.1 innings, but walked 34 in that time. He’s aggressive on the mound and shows little fear, and is expected to compete for a role in the Mariners’ bullpen.

Club (League)	Class	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Staten Island (NYP)	SS	0	0	0.00	2	0	0	4	3	0	0	0	1	6	.231
Scranton/W-B (IL)	AAA	2	2	2.63	23	0	1	27	19	8	8	1	19	41	.194
New York (AL)	MAJ	1	0	13.50	7	0	0	3	7	5	5	2	1	3	.438

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YANKEES ACQUIRE Zack Littell, rhp Age: 21

An 11th-round pick in 2013 out of Mebane, N.C., Littell signed with the Mariners for $100,000 rather than attend Appalachian State. The righthander has a three-pitch mix, with a fastball that sits 89-91 mph but can touch 92-93, a curveball and changeup. Although his fastball is not overpowering, he misses bats because of spin rate and location with the pitch. He can throw it to both sides of the plate. His changeup keeps batters off-balance, and his curveball was rated the best in the Mariners’ system.  He gets high marks for his preparation and his ability to read hitters’ swings.  The New York scene will definitely be a change of pace for a North Carolina native who’s all about pitching, hunting and fishing.

Club (League)	Class	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Clinton (MWL)	LoA	5	5	2.76	16	16	2	0	98	94	35	30	5	21	95	.258
Bakersfield (CAL)	HiA	8	1	2.51	12	11	0	0	68	64	21	19	3	13	61	.246