In a deal that sent Mark Trumbo to the Baltimore Orioles, the Seattle Mariners acquired utility man Steve Clevenger on Tuesday, per CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman.
Clevenger, a five-year veteran, has seen limited playing time with the Chicago Cubs and Orioles, having played in no more than 69 games in a single season.
The Mariners dealt Trumbo after he struggled to regain his play from 2012 and 2013, when he hit 32 and 34 home runs, respectively. He had 22 last year, which is still productive, leading CSN’s Rob Carlin to ponder this:
But Clevenger has spent most of his time as a designated hitter and catcher, a position the Mariners have needed some help with as of late. Last season, Seattle’s main pair of catchers, Mike Zunino and Jesus Sucre, both batted under .175.
His .314 on-base percentage is also an improvement, as Zunino and Sucre were both .230 or under.
While he played in just 30 games in 2014, Clevenger batted .287, a drastic improvement in that respect. Providing a left-handed bat off of the bench will also be helpful. The Mariners had five starters bat left-handed but didn’t have any in reserve after the team traded Dustin Ackley to the New York Yankees.
According to the News Tribune‘s Bob Dutton, Clevenger is not eligible for arbitration this season and is set to make around $520,000. He won’t be providing too big of a hit in the Mariners’ wallet, but if Trumbo flourishes in Baltimore while Clevenger remains a utility man with limited playing time, this deal could turn out to be a tough one for Seattle.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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