When the Washington Nationals acquired left-handed reliever Roenis Elías from Seattle’s Mariners before the trade deadline this past July, the 31-year-old southpaw had posted a 3.64 ERA, 4.66 FIP, 17 walks, 45 Ks, and a .230/.297/.399 line against in 44 games and 47 innings pitched (with a .353/.441/.549 line against vs left-hand hitters and a .182/.238/.341 line against vs right-handed hitters).
Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo, acknowledging the reliever’s reverse splits, said his numbers vs left-handers with the Mariners were not indicative of his career stats.
“His splits for his career are almost identical and we feel that he’ll be very effective against lefties and righties,” Rizzo told reporters.