The Rays made a move to bolster their injury-riddled rotation Tuesday night, acquiring right-hander Erasmo Ramirez from the Mariners for left-hander Mike Montgomery, the Tampa Tribune and the Tacoma News Tribune report.
Ace Alex Cobb is expected to miss the start of the season due to forearm tendinitis, while Drew Smyly has been out since March 8 with shoulder tendinitis. Matt Moore is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Alex Colome, who battled pneumonia early in camp, is expected back in mid-April.
MORE: Top 25 fantasy SPs | Bold predictions for Mariners
Ramirez was in a battle for the No. 5 spot in the Mariners' rotation but lost out to Taijuan Walker, who has had a stellar spring (0.36 ERA, 24:4 K:BB ratio in 25 Cactus League innings).
With the Rays' rotation in flux, Ramirez, 24, has a good shot at landing in the rotation, at least early in the season. He has a 4.62 ERA over 206 2/3 innings in the majors.
Ramirez could be starter #rays are looking for to get through April. He was 1-6 with a 5.26 ERA in 17 games/14 starts last year for M's
— RMooneyTBO (@RMooneyTBO) April 1, 2015Montgomery, 25, is 42-47 with a 4.28 ERA in seven minor league seasons and will likely start the season at Triple-A Tacoma. He was part of the package the Rays received from the Royals in the trade that sent James Shields to Kansas City in December 2012.