The Mariners announced that infielder Buddy Kennedy has been acquired from the Giants for cash considerations. No further transaction was needed since Seattle already had an open spot on its 40-man roster.
San Francisco only designated Kennedy for assignment earlier today to make room for Heliot Ramos‘ return from the 10-day injured list. It didn’t make long for the M’s and Giants to work out a deal to send Kennedy to the Pacific Northwest, and the Mariners will officially be the seventh different team of Kennedy’s five-year MLB career once he appears in a game.
Kennedy signed a minor league contract with the Giants last winter, and he went hitless in eight plate appearances over seven games after his contract was selected to the 26-man roster at the start of June. Kennedy has only a .171/.265/.262 slash line to show for his 189 career PA in the majors, but he has been consistently productive against minor league pitching. Over 218 PA with Triple-A Sacramento this season, Kennedy hit .321/.424/.543 with eight homers.
At age 27 and with parts of five Major League seasons under his belt, time is running out for Kennedy to translate this Triple-A success into any kind of production in the Show. Even moderate offense would go a long way towards helping Kennedy stick on a roster as a bench piece, since he can play any of first, second or third base, plus left field or even shortstop in a pinch. Kennedy is out of minor league options, so he might find himself back on the waiver wire relatively soon if the Mariners find a better use for his 40-man roster spot.
While Kennedy isn’t the answer to Seattle’s desire to add right-handed hitting depth, his right-handed bat does provide a complement to the Mariners’ otherwise lefty-heavy infield mix. J.P. Crawford, Josh Naylor, Colt Emerson, and Cole Young are all left-handed hitters, and utilityman Weston Wilson is the only righty swinger on the bench capable of playing the infield since the M’s have used Rob Refsnyder exclusively as an outfielder.
