Mariners complete trade and reunite with infielder Austin Shenton

The Seattle Mariners agreed a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays to acquire Austin Shenton, who they previously selected in the 2019 MLB draft.

The Seattle Mariners have decided to reunite with one of their previous draft picks, in a trade which was completed on Tuesday. As announced by Executive Vice President and General Manager of Baseball Operations Justin Hollander, the club has acquired Austin Shenton from the Tampa Bay Rays.

In exchange, the Mariners will send cash considerations to the Rays. To make room on the 40-man roster for the move, right-handed pitcher JT Chargois has been designated for assignment.

Shenton was selected by the Mariners in the fifth round of the 2019 draft. He then began to progress through the organization, playing at four different levels within the farm system and producing an intriguing .940 OPS in the process.

Despite this, the 26-year-old was subsequently traded to the Rays ahead of the 2021 MLB deadline, in exchange for relief pitcher Diego Castillo. As an interesting note, Chargois was also included as part of the Mariners’ package sent to Tampa Bay to obtain Castillo.

Shenton finally made it to the big show this past season

Shenton would continue to impress in the Minors and eventually made his Major League debut this year with the Rays, on March 31. He went on to play 19 Major League games during the 2024 season, producing a .214/.340/.405 slash line, .745 OPS, 114 OPS+ and 120 wRC+.

The rest of the time saw the left-handed bat plying his trade in Triple A. He appeared in 83 games and had 20 home runs and 65 RBI on his way to a .858 OPS.

What Shenton brings (back) to Seattle remains to be seen, but at least the Mariners are familiar with what he’s capable of. If nothing else, he provides some organisational depth and has two minor league option years left.

It is worth noting the Spokane native offers some potential versatility to the Mariners, despite the majority of his experience coming at third base. He has also seen playing time at first and second base, as well as in the left and right outfield spots.

• Seahawks Rookie Mini-Camp Highlights: Key Performers & Insights
• Mariners Scratch Raleigh, Call Up Pereda Ahead of Johnson Celebration
• Seahawks Rookie Camp Day 1 Highlights
• Exploring Jadarian Price’s Impact on Seahawks’ Offense
• Seattle Storm’s Preseason Breakdown: Stats and Highlights

Other news

A day earlier, the Mariners also re-signed pitcher Casey Lawrence, on a minor league deal. While not guaranteed, you would anticipate that he gets an invite to spring training in February.

Lawrence was with the Mariners organization last season, but did not see any action in the Majors. He previously saw playing time for the Mariners during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and for his Major League career as a whole, he has produced a 6.75 ERA, 5.56 FIP and 1.685 WHIP over 124.0 total innings across 59 appearances.

It’s not exactly a gamble to bring Shenton back into the fold in Seattle. Regardless, do you predict he will see much playing time/success with the Mariners, or do you expect him to mostly stay in the Minors? Let us know in the comments section below