Zach Lee Must Fill Immediate Need For Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners made a move over the weekend to bolster their thinned out pitching ranks, acquiring right-hander Zach Lee from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday in exchange for infielder Chris Taylor. While the 24-year-old Lee is still a raw talent and slated to join the rotation at Triple-A Tacoma, injuries to the major league rotation could force the team to push Lee into filling an immediate need for starting pitching sooner rather than later.

Lee is a talented prospect who was a first-round pick in 2010 by the Dodgers and made his MLB debut last year, allowing seven runs in 4.2 innings against the New York Mets in what remains his only big league action to date. So far this season, Lee has been pitching at Triple-A Oklahoma City and compiled a 7-5 record with a 4.89 ERA. Lee is a good overall athlete with a full complement of pitches that he has continued to improve in the minors over the years, and he could continue to develop into a solid middle of the rotation starter in his career.

For the Mariners, however, they may not be able to wait for him to develop (or even unpack his bags) at Tacoma. The rotation has already lost Felix Hernandez with a calf injury and Wade Miley with shoulder soreness to the disabled list. Now, the team is waiting on MRI results for Taijuan Walker‘s right foot injury that cut his last start short. If Walker has to spend time on the DL as well, the Mariners are going to be seriously hurting for starting pitching.

The team has already had to call on one young arm, Adrian Sampson, who made his major-league debut this weekend against the Boston Red Sox. He lasted just 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits, including a pair of home runs, in a 6-2 loss. His struggles mirrored the struggles of the entire team so far this month, including fellow starter Nathan Karns who has given up 15 runs in his last four starts and hasn’t recorded a win since May 30.

If the starting pitching doesn’t get healthy soon or players like Sampson continue to struggle, the team will have to turn to Lee to provide some assistance. As Seattle attempts to pull out of this June swoon, Lee is looking like an important acquisition who will have a significant role in the Mariners’ summer plans to get back on track for a playoff push.