The Seattle Mariners have been robust over their off-season transactions. The side that did not perform well in the last season is looking to change its fate in the future by making new additions to the roster.
One of the recent news that came in last week confirmed that Designated Hitter, Jack Cust, had joined the side. With that, it does not surprise many that the team has now gone ahead to acquire another player in the off season period. Shortstop Brendan Ryan
becomes the new player to join the ranks of the Mariners form the St. Louis Cardinals.
The deal sent a prospect over to the Cardinals and brought the 28-year-old defensive shortstop to Seattle. General Manager Jack Zduriencik was immediately on the scene to talk on the deal. He stated that the new addition would compete for a position in the
team as either a shortstop or a second baseman.
Ryan’s role at shortstop could come in the campaign on frequent occasions as the team’s existing position player, Jack Wilson, is prone to injury. He could also take over from rookie, Dustin Ackley, who will feature this season on the second baseman position.
Ryan is a player who is arbitration eligible and will be under the team’s control until 2013. Brendan has been effective for the Cardinals in the past but at times has failed to impress. He commented on his experience, recently.
"You can't get better summers than in the Northwest," Ryan said. "Those summers in St. Louis will crush you at times. That's some kind of humidity and heat. It'll be familiar stomping grounds. Playing at (the University of Washington) and travelling all
over the Northwest was a great experience for me."
For Zduriencik, Ryan’s acquisition crosses out one of the improvements he needed to make to the team roster.
"We felt we needed to fill DH, bring in a catcher and add an infielder. That does not mean we're done, but it does mean we've gone down (the) road where some of the things we felt were necessary were addressed," Zduriencik said.
Tags: