The Seattle Mariners’ offseason restructuring continued Friday, as the team acquired shortstop Luis Sardinas from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com first reported the deal. The Mariners confirmed the trade, adding that outfielder Ramon Flores will be going back to Milwaukee.
Mariners general manager Jerry DiPoto has been busy remaking the roster since he was hired on Sept. 28. Seattle has acquired outfielder Leonys Martin and reliever Anthony Bass from the Texas Rangers and reliever Joaquin Benoit from the San Diego Padres.
The key pieces to DiPoto’s deals thus far are Martin and Sardinas. While they have struggled offensively throughout their Major League Baseball careers, the pair represent huge upgrades defensively from what Seattle had in 2015.
It should be noted that Sardinas’ stats are muted because he only played 36 games in the big leagues last season, splitting time between shortstop, second base and third base; his chances were limited.
In a statement after his hiring was announced, per ESPN.com, DiPoto talked about being able to start anew for the franchise: “As the 2015 season draws to a close, we have a great fan base, ballpark and organization, providing a great opportunity for success. I truly look forward to both the challenges and rewards to come as we chart a fresh course for the future of Mariners baseball.”
The Mariners needed a fresh start after the previous regime, led by Jack Zduriencik, kept trying various ways of getting the team into the postseason, from building around defense to throwing a lot of money at free agents like Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz.
Zduriencik was unable to figure out a formula that worked, but DiPoto is clearly prioritizing defense because Safeco Field is a huge ballpark.
Sardinas’ career hasn’t taken off yet, but he’s just 22 years old, and he was Texas’ No. 2 prospect as recently as 2013. He only has 212 big league at-bats under his belt. The Mariners are giving him the chance for a fresh start to prove he can hit and play defense.
This is a challenge for Sardinas, who has always had the ability and just needs a team to believe in him long enough to get a real look at his skills. DiPoto has taken bold risks already, and this is another move that could pay strong dividends.
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