The Seattle Times
Aug. 07—KANSAS CITY — When the Mariners arrive to the Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday to open the brief two game series against the A’s, Yonder Alonso will be waiting to join them instead of trying to beat them.
The Mariners acquired the veteran left-handed hitting first baseman from the A’s on Sunday morning in waivers trade, sending outfielder Boog Powell back to Oakland in return. A 25-man roster move will have to be made to add Alonso on Tuesday. It’s likely the Mariners’ extra reliever they are carrying — Casey Lawrence — will be sent out.
“Yonder fits our roster quite well,” general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “Obviously, he’s had an excellent year to this point, an all-star season, real breakout year for him. We are acquiring a bat that makes us a difference in the middle of our lineup.
The 30-year-old Alonso is a rental bat for the final two months since he will be a free agent after the season. He made his first All-Star game this season and was hitting .266 with an .896 on-base plus slugging percentage, 17 doubles, 22 homers and 49 RBI in 100 games with the A’s.
Alonso is likely to platoon with his former teammate Danny Valencia at first base, and get the starts against right-handed pitchers. This season, he’s hitting .286 with a .948 OPS, 15 doubles, 18 homers and 40 RBI vs. righties.
“I feel like it’s a complement he brings to our lineup, particularly the left-handed bat and how he pairs with Valencia, which they’ve done before,” Dipoto said. “It’s a balance he brings to our lineup, especially looking ahead, we’ve got quite a stretch of right-handed starters that we are seeing over the next three weeks. This is something we discussed for a length of time heading into the July 31 deadline. We felt like we were at the goal line to get a deal done. And through the August trade period, we were able to complete it.
Powell returns to the organization that selected him in the 20th round of the 2012 draft. He’s spent the majority of this season with Class AAA Tacoma, hitting .340 with nine doubles, two triples, six homers and 33 RBI. He was called up three different times this season, hitting .194 (7 for 36)with two RBI in 23 games.
Ryan Divish: 206-464-2373 or rdivish@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @RyanDivish. Ryan Divish covers the Mariners and offers his perspective all season. He gives his inside look at Major League Baseball and power rankings every Sunday.
