The Mariners acquired Gonzales from the Cardinals on Friday for outfielder Tyler O'Neill.
Seattle continues to rebuild its pitching staff, this time giving up a noted prospect instead of the less heralded package the Mariners sent to the Marlins for David Phelps. Gonzales' destination within the M's organization wasn't known at the time of the report, but if Seattle calls him up, the left-hander may grab at least a temporary rotation spot, considering Hisashi Iwakuma (shoulder) is at least a few weeks away from returning. Gonzales showed fleeting signs that he could act as a serviceable back-end starter during his St. Louis days, has delivered a decent velocity increase this year, and spun a 2.90 ERA in 11 starts for Triple-A Memphis. Still, positive reviews he garnered in his early prospect days have waned, especially as his strikeout rate dipped while facing tougher competition. He's under team control through the 2023 season, though, so Seattle wouldn't mind seeing if the 25-year-old can reach another level. As for 2017, AL-only players could scrape some value out of him, and maybe he'll earn streamer appeal.