Roenis Elias

Elias begin the season with Triple-A Pawtucket before being reacquired by the Mariners in late April. He was then assigned to Triple-A Tacoma where he was stretched out in anticipation of his long-relief, spot-starter role in Seattle. He was summoned June 1 and remained with the big club all season, save for a near three-week stretch in August when he was sidelined with a triceps strain. Elias appeared in 23 games, working multiple innings 14 times, including four starts. Despite gaining velocity across the board last season, including a career best 95-mph average on his fastball, Elias' strikeout rate dropped to 16%, below his career average. Last season, he was saved by allowing only one homer in 51 frames, a feat not likely to be repeated. With the Mariners acquiring a couple of young arms in their rebuild, Elias is again ticketed for a swingman role not conducive to fantasy, especially with his paucity of punchouts.

Elias was a disappointment for the Red Sox after being acquired in the offseason deal that sent him and Carson Smith to Boston for Wade Miley. At that time of the deal, the Red Sox envisioned him as a competitor for the fifth spot in the rotation or a piece of the bullpen. But he labored throughout the spring, giving up 12 runs over 10.1 innings and was ultimately assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket. The left-hander was slow to develop a rhythm with the PawSox and was overmatched in his three appearances for the big club (12.91 ERA, 2.609 WHIP). He eventually settled into a second-half groove in the minors, posting a 2.38 ERA in 41.2 innings over seven appearances (six starts). Barring several injuries, there won't be a spot for him in Boston's rotation. A bullpen role is not out of the question, but the Red Sox will presumably allow him to try to build off his second-half success as a starter at Pawtucket.

Elias lost the battle for the fifth starter's job last spring but ended up making 20 starts for the Mariners (plus two relief appearances). He was mostly mediocre, as his strikeout rate actually dipped a bit from the previous year while his poor walk rate didn't improve significantly. Too often he made mistakes up in the zone with his low-90s fastball, which led to an elevated home-run rate, and he sometimes struggled to command his plus curveball and above-average changeup. This led to high pitch counts and shorter outings — he averaged only 5.2 innings per start but threw 91 pitches per start. The lefty was traded to the Red Sox in December and will compete for a rotation spot in spring training. He could also be used in the bullpen, as the Red Sox could use another southpaw reliever. Either way, he'll also have to contend with going from one of the more pitcher-friendly parks in the league to one of the most hitter-friendly.

Elias, who had never pitched above Double-A, came out of nowhere last season to earn a rotation spot in spring training. All things considered, he pitched pretty well throughout the season, allowing two earned runs or fewer in 18 of his 29 starts and posting a 2.31 ERA in his last 10. Armed with a low-to-mid-90s fastball, the left-hander has a good slider and changeup. A Cuban defector, Elias was fairly unpolished out of spring, and as he develops he'll likely improve both his strikeout rate and his control. The Mariners limited his innings by not allowing him to go deep into games, but his season ended with an elbow injury in mid-September anyway. He is expected to be healthy for spring training where he'll again compete for a rotation job. Whether a spot is open depends on what moves the team makes in the offseason.