Report: D-backs, Mariners worked on a Mike Leake trade

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ starting rotation has worn thin recently.

Zack Godley was demoted to the bullpen after struggling mightily in starts early-on, while Luke Weaver is currently on the IL with a right forearm issue that will keep him out for several weeks. Taijuan Walker, who has been on the mend from Tommy John, had a setback in his recovery and stopped throwing.

So it shouldn’t come as a grand surprise that GM Mike Hazen and the D-backs front office has worked to patch up that rotation as the team sits three games out of a Wild Card spot entering Thursday. Seattle Times reporter Ryan Divish wrote that the Seattle Mariners were working on a trade to send former ASU righty Mike Leake to the D-backs.

That Leake made [a start against the Astros] on Wednesday evening wasn’t a given. In the days leading up to his start and even into the evening hours on Tuesday, Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto worked to finalize a trade that would’ve sent Leake to the Arizona Diamondbacks per MLB sources. Obviously, the deal fell apart before the finish because Leake would’ve never taken the mound if there was a possibility of the deal happening.

It’s not clear if those talks will continue, and Divish suggested that perhaps Leake’s start on Wednesday would pique teams’ interest in a potential deal.

In Leake’s start on Wednesday, he went the distance, allowing one earned run over nine innings on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts and a season-high 119 pitches. On the season, he owns a 4.30 ERA in 13 starts and a 1.273 WHIP. He’s in his 10th big league season with a career ERA at 4.04.

Leake is signed through 2020, meaning a potential acquisition of the veteran pitcher would be more than just a rental. His contract also includes a mutual option for 2021.

After pitching for the Sun Devils, Leake was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds eighth overall in 2009. He has since pitched for the Reds, Giants, Cardinals and Mariners.

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