Mariners trade Wade Miley to Orioles for lefty Ariel Miranda

On July 31st the Seattle Mariners traded left-hander Wade Miley to the Baltimore Orioles for left-handed rookie Ariel Miranda. Here's a quick take.

Ariel Miranda, LHP: The Orioles signed Miranda as a Cuban free agent in 2015. He did not have much hype but he did have a pretty good track record in Serie Nacional over parts of seven seasons, posting a 3.78 ERA in 386 innings with 274/151 K/BB. In 2016 he made 19 starts for Triple-A Norfolk, going 4-7, 3.93 with an 87/31 K/BB in 101 innings.

Miranda is listed at 6-2, 190, born January 10, 1989. He generates decent velocity with relatively little effort, topping out at 95 in shorter stints and usually in the 89-93 range. His best pitch is widely-regarded to be the splitter. The straight change draws mixed reviews, some sources rating it solid-average while other see more of a fringy pitch. His main breaking pitch is a slider and is a clear step behind the fastball and splitter in terms of quality.

Overall he projects as a back-end starter or a bullpen option, throwing strikes but not overpowering most hitters.