Blue Jays select reliever Brian Moran from the Mariners in Rule 5 Draft

With an open roster spot stemming from Thad Weber's release, the Blue Jays selected left-handed reliever Brian Moran from the Tacoma Rainier's of the Seattle Mariners organization. The Blue Jays did not lose anyone in the major league phase of the draft.

Moran is a 25-year-old former seventh round pick from UNC-Chapel Hill. He maintained an impressive 3.61 ERA in a season-and-a-half of being in the Pacific Coast League. He had an impressive 31% strikeout rate last year in triple-A, walking just 7.3%. He sports significant lefty-righty splits, with righties slapping him to the tune of .341/.410/.484 and lefties just managing just .235/.272/.322.

Moran is added to the 40-man roster and will have to be kept on the 25-man roster the entire season. He cannot be optioned or outrighted in 2014 without being first offered back to the Mariners.