The Seattle Mariners haven’t made the playoffs since 2001, but they think this could be the year their postseason drought ends.
The Mariners acquired All-Star first baseman Yonder Alonso from the Oakland Athletics on Sunday in exchange for outfield prospect Boog Powell.
The Mariners have the longest playoff drought in Major League Baseball, but they currently are just 1.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals for the second wild-card spot in the American League.
Although the MLB non-waiver trade deadline passed Monday, the Mariners were able to claim Alonso off waivers and work out a deal with the division-rival A’s.
Alonso will be a free agent at the end of the season, but the Mariners likely will use him in a platoon at first base with Danny Valencia. The 30-year-old first baseman is hitting .266 with a career-high 22 home runs, 18 of which have come against right-handed pitching.
The power-hitting first baseman should add much-needed to pop to a Mariners’ lineup that has struggled to score runs in recent years. The combination of Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager and Alonso could be enough to push the M’s to the playoffs.
Thumbnail photo via Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports Images
