The Mariners made two moves today, one expected and one less so:
First, the slightly unexpected move: designating Shawn Armstrong for assignment. Armstrong had struggled in the four-ish innings he pitched this year as he worked back from an oblique injury, with truly dreadful-looking peripherals, but given the small sample size and injury, as well as more encouraging numbers from last year and an off-season spent dedicating himself to the Mariners’ use of analytics—going so far as to purchase a Rapsodo machine for the North Carolina facility where he trains (something Mariners prospect Max Povse was also able to benefit from)—it’s surprising that the 28-year-old found himself on the outs ahead of someone like 33-year-old Cory Gearrin, who has had some well-documented command issues, or lefty specialist Zac Rosscup, whose 12.