Mariners get Seth Smith from Padres for Brandon Maurer - MLB

It was reported as close to happening a few hours ago and now ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick says it’s done: Seth Smith, 32-year-old Padres outfielder, has been traded to the Mariners in a straight swap for 24-year-old right-handed reliever Brandon Maurer.

Smith was left without a starting job in San Diego when Justin Upton, Matt Kemp, and Wil Myers all arrived in a burst of early-December blockbuster trades. Smith regisetered an excellent 135 adjusted OPS+ in 2014 and fits well as a right-field platoon mate with Justin Ruggiano in Seattle.

On the flip side, Maurer is a nice long-term bullpen pickup for the vastly-improved Padres. He does have experience as a starter, but the Friars figure to keep him in relief, where he posted a 2.17 ERA and 38/5 K/BB ratio across 37 1/3 innings this past year with the M’s.

Smith can become a free agent after the 2016 season. Maurer is under control through 2019.

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CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”