The Seattle Mariners reinstated seven players from the 60-day IL and outrighted five others to Triple-A Tacoma, completing a flurry of roster moves as their offseason gets underway.
Infielder Colt Emerson and right-hander Matt Brash headline the reinstatements. Seattle also brought back right-handers Nick Davila and Logan Evans, outfielder Brennen Davis, and first basemen/outfielders Luke Raley and Michael Toglia.
Left-hander Josh Simpson, right-hander Troy Watson and infielders Weston Wilson, Will Wilson and Patrick Wisdom cleared waivers and were outrighted to Tacoma.
Plenty of activity for one transaction announcement but we had to name it all. It also gives us an early look at the questions Seattle will carry into its winter roster building, particularly around Emerson's recovery, Brash's availability and how much offensive help this team still needs.
Teams must remove players from the 60-day IL by the fifth day after the World Series, returning those players to the 40-man roster. An offseason reinstatement, by itself, tells us nothing definitive about a player's medical clearance or readiness for spring training. It's simply just a transaction that is required to happen.
Emerson's listed injury was a left wrist tendon repair, while Brash was sidelined with a right lat strain. Davila returns following an SC joint sprain, Evans following right elbow surgery and Davis following a left hamstring strain. Raley had a left forearm strain, and Toglia had a right shoulder dislocation.
Emerson is the name that will probably grab the most attention, and understandably so. His development gives Mariners fans something to get excited about in an offseason that will inevitably include plenty of lineup debate.
His wrist recovery adds urgency to the work Seattle can do before a potential lockout cuts off contact. The Mariners need the clearest possible picture of his progress and a plan for his preparation if access to team staff and facilities disappears. That uncertainty should factor into their infield shopping.
The front office should give him a roster with some breathing room. An established infield addition would give Seattle more choices and Emerson more room to work through his return.
Brash's reinstatement brings a similar temptation. Put his name into the bullpen picture, imagine the best version of him and suddenly the late innings look a lot more reliable. But health has been a constant issue with Brash.
His recovery from the lat strain, spring workload and eventual availability will matter far more than this transaction. The Mariners should keep adding useful pitching with those questions in mind.
The same goes for Evans and Davila. Returning pitchers give the organization possibilities, but Seattle needs enough healthy arms to withstand the ordinary churn of a season. Brash could become a major part of the solution. The bullpen should have enough support around him to let that happen at a sensible pace.
Seattle has options to evaluate at first base and in the outfield. The front office now has to decide which players deserve regular opportunities, which fit complementary roles and where an outside addition would make the biggest difference.
Raley's recovery from a forearm strain is one part of the equation. Toglia is more of an open question. The Mariners claimed the Gig Harbor product off waivers from Cincinnati in October, and spring training should give him a chance to show where he fits. The power makes him interesting, but he's still a work in progress coming off shoulder surgery. We don't know what Seattle has planned for him, and the hometown connection doesn't guarantee him a spot on the major league roster.
Meanwhile, the five outrights remove those players from the 40-man roster. Clearing waivers also means no other club claimed them during that process.
For Wisdom and the two Wilsons, the moves put the bench discussion into focus. And those jobs tend to become important in a hurry.
Seattle has completed a necessary round of offseason roster work. Now comes the part where we should judge how the Mariners use the winter to build a deeper, more productive team around the players they hope to get back.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/mariners/onsi as Mariners News & Notes: Colt Emerson, Matt Brash Headline Flurry of Roster Moves .
