The Baltimore Orioles have acquired 1B/OF Mark Trumbo from the Seattle Mariners in return for 1B/C Steve Clevenger in a deal completed Tuesday evening.
Trumbo, 29, was acquired in a deal from the Arizona Diamondbacks back in June which brought him to Seattle for the rest of the 2015 season. While in a Mariners uniform, Trumbo batted .263 with 13 home runs and 41 RBIs in 96 games played. He can play first base or either corner outfield position.
Clevenger, 29, is a left handed hitter who is out of options and can play first base and catcher. He batted .287 in 30 games at the Major League level, but spent most of his time at Triple-A Norfolk where he hit .305 in 75 games. Clevenger began his career with the Cubs before being traded to Baltimore for Jake Arrieta.
Trumbo is set to make $9.1 million in 2016 and is eligible for arbitration. Clevenger, however, is not eligible and is due about $520,000. The salary disparity between the two players was supposedly holding up the deal.
With the acquisition of Trumbo, it looks as if the Orioles are preparing to part with first baseman Chris Davis who is a free agent this year and will not come cheap. Trumbo provides some flexibility with his ability to play first base as well as a corner outfield spot.
This move for the Mariners seems to be a salary dump as new GM Jerry Dipoto continues to rework the Mariners into his own vision. With around $9 million now free with with this move, Seattle now has a bit more flexibility to do other things on the free agent market and address other needs.
Before the Orioles swooped in and acquired Trumbo, the Colorado Rockies were reportedly in talks with Seattle about acquiring the power right hander.