MLB Rumors: Jarred Kelenic, More Traded to Braves; Mariners Get 2 Pitchers | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Andrew Mccoy The Seattle Mariners are reportedly trading Jarred Kelenic, Marco Gonzales, and Evan White to the Atlanta Braves for a package that includes pitchers Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips (via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times).
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Braves do not plan on keeping Gonzales:
Ken Rosenthal @Ken_RosenthalFallout from last night's Braves-Mariners trade: The Braves do not plan on keeping left-hander Marco Gonzales, sources tell <a href="">@TheAthletic</a>. Expected to be part of another deal. Destination unknown.
Kelenic hit .253 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs throughout 105 games in 2023, posting a career-high .746 OPS. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the deal is considered a "money dump" for Seattle.
Phillips was a second-round pick in 2022 and is currently ranked as the Braves' No. 7 overall prospect, per MLB.com.
Kelenic's relationship with the Mariners had been a bit rocky to start, especially under former general manager Jerry Dipoto. In 2021, the outfielder claimed that his refusal to sign a long-term extension with the team led to the front office declining to call him up to the majors.
"It was communicated to Jarred that had he signed that contract, he would have debuted last year,'' Kelenic's agent Brodie Scoffield said in Feb. 2021 (per USA Today's Bob Nightengale). "It was made crystal clear to Jarred — then and now — that his decision not to call him up is based on service time. There's no question that if he signed that contract, he would have been in the big leagues"
Kelenic concurred with his representative, telling the media that the team relayed a similar message to him repeatedly.
"It wasn't just communicated one time to me," he said. "It was told to me several times. That's the God's honest truth. It got old.''
At just 23 years old, Kelenic possesses lots of upside following his impressive 2023 season. The former first-round pick was originally acquired by the Mariners in a trade with the New York Mets that sent Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to New York.
Kelenic will now be back in the NL East with Atlanta, hoping to provide a boost to a Braves team that won 104 games before unceremoniously losing in the NL Division Series.
