Ariel Miranda

After posting a sub-4.00 ERA in his rookie season, Miranda failed to match that level of success in Year 2, issuing more walks and remaining very susceptible to the long ball (2.08 HR/9). That he made 29 starts last season speaks to the rash of injuries that wiped out the organization's starting pitching depth. If he gets another chance to start, whether it's in Seattle or elsewhere, he'll need to find a way to keep right-handed bats from teeing off against him, as 32 of the 37 homers he gave up last season came against righties. Miranda's home numbers (3.95 ERA, .196 BAA) and first-half splits (4.15 ERA, .215 BAA) offer some hope that he can be molded into a more palatable back-end starter, but he'll need to improve his fastball command and significantly increase the use of his slider, which was his only above-average offering despite minimal use (5.3 percent) for that to happen. In the current MLB landscape, this is what a replacement-level starting pitcher looks like.

Miranda finished the 2016 season on a high note, posting a sparkling sparkling 2.62 ERA in September and October as a member of the Seattle rotation. Prior to his arrival in the big leagues, he had 170.2 innings under his belt over two seasons in the minors after signing as an international free agent out of Cuba. The 28-year-old left-hander works with a four-pitch arsenal that includes a fastball, slider, splitter and changeup, which he used to generate a 19.0 percent strikeout rate in his big league debut. Miranda's biggest flaw last season was his inability to keep the ball in the yard (1.86 HR/9), particularly alarming given the pitcher-friendly nature of his home park. All signs point to an opportunity for Miranda to compete for the No. 5 starter job during spring training, and while he does not possess the upside for a massive breakout, he has the tools necessary to be a steady fantasy streaming option if he can begin to chip away at the problem he's had with gopheritis.