General manager Jerry Dipoto continues to transform the Mariners, swapping 1B/DH Mark Trumbo and newly acquired reliever RHP C.J. Riefenhauser to Baltimore Wednesday night for C/1B Steve Clevenger.
Clevenger, 29, a part-timer who played only 65 games over the past two seasons for the Orioles, will back up newly acquired Chris Iannetta.
Trumbo, acquired by Seattle June 3, was a likely trade option as soon as Dipoto said he wanted a more athletic team that strikes out less than many on a Mariners club that never contended last season.
The deal was also about money. Trumbo is in his final year of arbitration eligibility and is likely to make about $9 million. Clevenger is not yet eligible for arbitration and will make the minimum.
In 30 games last season, Clevenger hit .287 (29 for 101) with a .740 OPS, two homers and 15 RBI. In 148 games over five seasons, he hit .228 with a .607 OPS.
Trumbo played first base, left field and DH in Seattle, where he hit .263 with a .735 OPS with 13 doubles, 13 homers and 41 RBI in 96 games.
The only first baseman remaining on the 40-man roster is Jesus Montero, which suggests that the Mariners might use the salary savings and go after a full-timer in the free agent market.
Clevenger’s arrival means former No. 1 C Mike Zunino, who fizzled miserably at the plate and was demoted to AAA Tacoma, will remain there in April to see if changes in his swing mechanics have made a difference.
Riefenhauser was acquired Nov. 5 by the Mariners as part of a six-player trade along with RHP Nathan Karns and OF Boog Powell from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for 1B Logan Morrison, INF/OF Brad Miller and RHP Danny Farquhar.
5 Comments
I don’t know if the Mariners will be any better this year, but they’ll sure look different.
He has a better BA than Iannetta at least. Both should make a decent platoon. M’s also got Aoki today.
I like the Aoki signing. He’s only an average defender, but he’s good with the bat and on the bases. When he was healthy, he played well for the Giants.
Servais is gonna have the unenviable job of trying to make steak out of all this hash.
I like Montero at first. He has transformed himself physically and mentally and comes relatively cheap. His career 162 game averages are: a .253 batting,. 20 homers, 75 RBI’s, and OPS .693. Why pay a lot more money for something you already have?