The Tampa Bay Rays continued their flurry of trade-deadline activity Friday, acquiring right-handed reliever Steve Cishek and cash from the Seattle Mariners for lefty swingman Erasmo Ramirez.
The Rays, who added shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria in a trade with the Miami Marlins in late June, picked up Chicago White Sox reliever Dan Jennings and New York Mets first baseman Lucas Duda in separate deals Thursday. Tampa Bay is currently third in the American League East at 53-50 and three games out of first place after a 6-5, 11-inning loss to the New York Yankees.
Cishek, 31, is 22-27 with a 2.83 ERA and 121 saves in eight seasons with the Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals and Mariners. He's expected to work in a setup role in front of Rays closer Alex Colome.
Ramirez, 27, is 29-32 with a 4.23 ERA over six big league seasons with the Mariners and Rays. He signed with Seattle as an amateur free agent out of his native Nicaragua in 2007 and was traded to Tampa Bay for pitcher Mike Montgomery in 2015.
Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto said he had little hesitation making a deal with a team the Mariners are competing with.
"At the end of the day we control our own destiny. We go play them and they play us. We know Steve, but we also know Erasmo,'' Dipoto said.
Ramirez is scheduled to start for the Mariners on Tuesday in Texas.
Dipoto was also pleased with acquiring a potential starting pitcher that is under club control through the 2019 season.
"Right now the multi-inning capability and the starting ability of Erasmo Ramirez just makes far more sense for our roster,'' Dipoto said. "And it sets us up as we head toward a free-agent market this coming offseason for starting pitching that's not a particularly deep group, therefore Erasmo Ramirez presents an option that didn't otherwise exist.''
Cishek is making $6 million this year, while Ramirez is signed for $3.125 million. A source said the Mariners sent the Rays $1 million to make up the prorated portion of the difference in the two players' 2017 salaries.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.