*Photo from the Everett Herald*
Big trade? Big trade. The Atlanta Braves have acquired OF Jarred Kelenic, 1B Evan White, and LHP Marco Gonzales from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for RHP's Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Both teams have confirmed the trade.
The trade is a cost cutting measure by the Mariners, who offload the $12 million salary of Gonzales and $8 million of White, while also giving the Braves an intriguing piece in Kelenic, who appeared to unlock something in the major leagues after a rocky start to his career.
Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said of the trade that "There's the obvious, which is that it creates a good deal of payroll flexibility that we do intend to go out and put to immediate use to make our team better. And we're nothing if not industrious in trying to figure out ways that we can improve, and this was one of the things that we needed to make sure we put in place to let that happen."
Kelenic was the 6th overall pick in the 2018 Draft by the New York Mets. Before the 2019 season, he was traded to the Mariners as part of a large trade that gave the Mets Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. He was ranked as the 4th best prospect in baseball as recently as 2021.
After struggles in 2021 and 2022 in the majors, Kelenic fared better in 2023. He slashed .253/.327/.419 in 2023, hitting 11 home runs and 25 doubles with 13 stolen bases and 49 RBI's in 105 games. He missed a chunk of time in the middle of the season after breaking his foot by kicking a water cooler.
Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said of Kelenic that "With our lineup, we’re not looking for anyone to carry the load. He’s talented, and the outfield depth for us is a little thin. He’s got tremendous upside and ceiling. He’s a good defender."
White signed a 6 year, $24 million contract prior to the 2020 season, before he had played a major league game. He has been hit hard by injuries in recent years and hasn't played in the majors since 2021. He has just 84 games in the majors under his belt.
Gonzales, acquired by the Mariners in 2017, was the team's longest tenured player prior to the trade. The southpaw dealt with forearm issues throughout the season and underwent surgery in August. He had a 5.22 ERA, 4.28 FIP, and 1.460 WHIP in 10 starts.
Kowar, one of the pieces going back to the Mariners, is a former first round pick who hasn't been able to live up to the billing in the majors. With the Kansas City Royals last year, he posted a 6.43 ERA, 5.29 FIP, and 1.929 WHIP over 28 innings and 23 relief appearances. He was acquired by the Braves from the Royals in November.
Phillips is a pitcher who was ranked as the 7th overall prospect in the Braves system prior to the trade. He was drafted by the Braves in the second round of the 2022 draft. He has not yet pitched in the pros, as he underwent Tommy John Surgery just before the 2022 draft.
Kelenic is expected to become part of a platoon in left field with Vaughn Grissom in Atlanta, with White a candidate to back up Matt Olson at first base. Gonzales is not expected to be kept by the Braves and is likely to be included in a separate trade. Kowar is likely a piece for the Mariners bullpen, while Phillips will make his professional debut in 2024.
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