Mariners Add Chris Heston As Depth

THE DEAL

The Mariners on Wednesday acquired righthander Chris Heston—who pitched a no-hitter against the Mets in 2015—from the Giants for a player to be named later, most likely a player not chosen in Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft.

“Adding Chris is another move in our continuing effort to build a deep and flexible pitching staff,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement.

MARINERS ACQUIRE
Chris Heston, rhp
Age: 28

Drafted in three straight years, Heston finally signed in 2009 after a solid junior year at East Carolina. With fringy stuff, Heston moved deliberately through the Giants system before finally reaching the majors in 2014. He then had a surprisingly effective 2015, which peaked with a no-hitter against the Mets at Citi Field on June 9, 2015. After starting 9-5, 3.39 through 18 starts, he finished at 12-11, 3.95. He struggled in 2016 with a change in roles as a reliever, then sustained an oblique injury in June that cost him almost two months. Already possessing a fringy fastball, his velocity fell off from 89 mph in 2015 to 87.7 in 2016. Still, at his best Heston keeps the ball on the ground, inducing ground balls 52.6 percent of the time. He primarily throws a fastball but mixes in a slider and curveball, while throwing his changeup just 8.7 percent of the time. But the Giants needed a roster spot after signing closer Mark Melancon, so they traded Heston.