The Royals announced they’ve acquired minor league reliever Natanael Garabitos from the Mariners. He is the player to be named later to complete the January trade that sent infielder Samad Taylor to Seattle.
Garabitos, 23, signed with the Mariners as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic back in 2019. He has pitched in the lower levels of the minor leagues since entering pro ball. Garabitos has posted big strikeout numbers but walked far too many hitters. That continued at Low-A Modesto in 2023, where he issued free passes to 17.3% of opponents. The 6’0″ righty struck out 30.2% of batters faced while allowing 4.02 earned runs per nine through 40 1/3 innings.
Last spring, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs listed Garabitos as an honorable mention in his write-up of the Seattle farm system. Longenhagen noted that Garabitos averages around 96 MPH with his fastball but understandably panned his control. He’s a lottery ticket addition to the lower levels of the Kansas City system.
Taylor is trying to grab a utility spot with the Mariners. He has appeared in 11 Spring Training contests, hitting .269/.286/.500 over 28 plate appearances. He has hit two homers with six strikeouts and one walk.