Indians Send Aaron Laffey To Seattle

The Indians have dealt pitcher Aaron Laffey to the Seattle Mariners, no word on what will be coming back to the Indians yet, though one would assume it wouldn't be much for middle infielder Matt Lawson. The 26 year old Laffey was one of many pitchers competing for a spot in the Indians rotation or as a long reliever, which is the role I tentatively had him penciled in for. The trade however was likely prompted by the teams need to clear a 40-man roster spot for the recently acquired Chad Durbin.

Laffey has been underwhelming as a pitch-to-contact lefty with the Indians, posting a 4.41 ERA that perfectly mirrors his 4.41 FIP. He doesn't miss bats (4.35 K/9) and lacks ideal command (3.60 BB/9) but he does know how to get batters to hit the ball on the ground (51.6% GB) and as a result, typically keeps the damage to a minimum. All told however, he simply doesn't have the making of a very good Major league pitcher.

The Mariners acquisition of him will provide them with additional depth and pitching in a stadium like the spacious Safeco Field should help make Laffey look a little bit better than he really is. Lawson had some success last year in AA as a 25 year old, but he was playing in a league where the average age is about two years younger and at 26 in 2011 with no AAA experience, his future is probably more as Minor League filler.