On Saturday, the Seattle Mariners brought in some help via trade. They sent right- handed pitcher Paul Blackburn to the Oakland Athletics for utility man Danny Valencia.
#Mariners acquire UTL Danny Valencia from Oakland for RHP Paul Blackburn.
— Bob Dutton (@TNT_Mariners) November 12, 2016
Seattle Mariners Trade for Danny Valencia
Danny Valencia turned in a .287/.346/.446 slash line for his 2016 campaign. He also added 17 home runs and 51 RBI through 130 games. Paul Blackburn spent all season in Double-A ball, and went 9-5 with a 3.27 ERA.
Valencia joins Dan Vogelbach as potentially potent bats from the right side. With Nori Aoki leaving, there is an opening in the outfield where they can put Valencia. He can also spend time at first base. The Mariners have been pretty devoid of power from the right side. Over the last few years, they have had a lot of trouble when facing lefties in the American League. Valencia, though sometimes streaky, swings a solid bat and can get scalding hot at times. He’s an inexpensive option, and should go a long way toward solving the Mariners issues with left-handed pitchers.
Blackburn will join an Oakland team that looks like it is in another rebuilding phase. During the 2016 season, Oakland made trades that pointed to that fact. They sent Coco Crisp to the Cleveland Indians. They also traded Josh Reddick and Rich Hill to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It looks like Jerry DiPoto is starting early again this offseason in his efforts to add pieces to put another winner on the field. This is the already the second trade the Mariners have been involved in, as they previously acquired Carlos Ruiz from the Dodgers.
Main Photo:
