Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto isn’t done yet. The Mariners made two trades on Sunday (August 6), which adds pieces to the roster that could be important during the second half of the season. The early response on social media has been largely positive, with Dipoto acquiring All-Star first baseman Yonder Alonso with one of the deals. He could be a huge addition to the Mariners’ offense.
In addition to the trade with the Oakland Athletics for Yonder Alonso, the Seattle Mariners also pulled off a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. The focal point of that second deal was to acquire reliever Ryan Garton, who may become very valuable after what happened to David Phelps on Sunday.
Phelps had been a prior trade acquisition from the Miami Marlins.
Mariners trade with Athletics for Yonder Alonso
The Oakland Athletics placed Yonder Alonso on revocable waivers but decided to make a deal when the Seattle Mariners claimed him. In exchange for the power-hitting first baseman, the Mariners give up young outfielder Boog Powell. The Athletics probably see something in Powell, while the Mariners have a lot of depth in the outfield that made this deal palatable for the front office.
So far this season, Yonder Alonso has put up good numbers for the Athletics, getting him named to the American League All-Star team. The 30-year-old first baseman has 22 home runs, 49 RBIs, and a .266 batting average to his credit.
He will provide power for the Mariners in the middle of the lineup and could be used as a platoon player with Danny Valencia moving forward. This is definitely a move that should help the offense. That might be needed after Marco Gonzales struggled in his debut.
Mariners trade with Rays for reliever and catcher
The Seattle Mariners acquired right-handed reliever Ryan Garton and catcher Mike Marjama from the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays get Anthony Misiewicz, Luis Rengifo, and a player to be named later or cash. Both minor league players the Mariners give up are from the lower levels, so this was a move to immediately help the 40-man roster for the team.
Garton and Marjama will be playing with Triple-A Tacoma and should be in line to join the Mariners during September call-ups.
It’s also possible that Garton gets promoted far before that due to the injury that David Phelps suffered on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals. Marjama provides catching depth for the organization and will definitely serve as a third option for the Mariners in September.
The Seattle Mariners are still looking around to make more deals.
