Tuesday afternoon Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto had to itch to make yet another trade -- Dipoto has made, by far, the most trades in baseball since taking over the team in September 2015 -- so he acquired former big league closer Ernesto Frieri from the Rangers. The cost? $1. Yes. $1.
According to the Associated Press, the Rangers sold Frieri to the Mariners for $1, mostly to clear a roster spot for a younger player with their Triple-A affiliate. Their options were release Frieri and watch him sign with Seattle anyway, or sell him for a buck. Texas had no leverage. They took $1 because something had to go the other way in the transaction.
$1 trades are not all that uncommon, believe it or not. There's usually a few made each year under these exact circumstances. A team wants a depth player who is about to be released, so rather than go through the hassle of signing him as a free agent, they trade $1 to get him. The team about to release the player is in no position to demand more.
Frieri, 32, has spent most of this season in Triple-A, where he has a 2.63 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings. He allowed four runs in seven innings for the Rangers earlier this year. The Mariners assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate and will keep him around as a depth arm.
