Mariners trade Ryne Stanek to Mets for OF Rhylan Thomas

Seattle sends away a backend bullpen piece for a contact hitter

The Mariners remained busy today; shortly after swinging a deal for reliever Yimi García, sending away outfielder Jonatan Clase, they’ve traded reliever Ryne Stanek to the Mets in exchange for Triple-A outfielder Rhylan Thomas.

Thomas was the Mets’ 11th-round pick in 2022 out of USC. He’s been nothing but successful progressing up the Met’s minor-league ladder until running into a bit of a wall this season after being promoted to Triple-A Syracuse in May. A lefty hitter, Thomas’s overarching trait is that he simply does not strike out; he left USC in his junior year with exactly as many strikeouts as he had walks (36), and his 12.2% strikeout rate so far this year at Triple-A is the highest he’s run in his minor league career where he’s spent any significant amount of time at a stop.

His bat-to-ball skills are exceptional, but at a listed 5’10”, don’t expect heady power numbers from the undersized outfielder; so far this season he’s hit five home runs, which is more than in his entire previous minor-league career combined. However, he did go on a bit of a run with Syracuse, stacking extra-base hits over June, when he posted a .465 SLG. Whether he hits for power or not, though, a contact monster is exactly what the strikeout-prone Mariners could use.

FanGraphs doesn’t list Thomas as one of the Mets’ top 42 prospects, although he just sneaks into the Top 30 on MLB Pipeline. Thomas lacks some of the arm strength for an everyday centerfielder role but can play an acceptable center, and plays well above-average defense in the corners.

In exchange, the Mariners send the Mets Ryne Stanek, acquired as a stopgap reliever at the beginning of the season when it became clear Matt Brash’s season was over. Stanek was nails for the Mariners in a setup role earlier this season but has had some bumpy outings lately; combined with the back spasms that saw him removed from a game in Anaheim and an overall downtick in stuff, it’s a fair question to wonder if the big reliever is totally healthy, although the organization insists he is fine. The Mets will take on what remains of the $4M the Mariners gave Stanek for the year. It’s a somewhat odd trade for a team that’s theoretically trying to contend and also rebuild their own struggling bullpen, but at 24, Thomas is a piece for the future...and hopefully not the last piece the Mariners will acquire this trade deadline.