Seattle Mariners acquire John Jaso from Tampa Bay Rays for Josh Lueke -MLB Update
The Seattle Mariners made headlines on Sunday, November 27, 2011, as they traded relief pitcher, Josh Lueke, to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for catcher, John Jaso, which is termed to be their first big move of the 2011 Major League Baseball (MLB) offseason.
Seattle Mariners executive vice president and general manager, Jack Zduriencik, made the announcement on Sunday.
“John gives us a left-handed-hitting catcher with some big league time who is still young,”
Zduriencik said. “His left-handed bat will be a nice compliment to our right-handed hitting group. He’s a tough kid with post-season experience and should be a nice fit with us.”
It was also learned that Josh Lueke was not the only player traded for Jaso, but also a player who will later be named is also a part of the deal or a cash consideration, either one of the two can be the option according to which both teams agree upon.
Jaso, a 28-year-old backstop, played in 89 games with the Tampa Bay Rays during the past regular season in which he collected 15 doubles, one triple, five home runs and 27 RBI in 246 at-bats with a .224 average, making him a valuable addition on the Mariners
line up.
Even though the last season did not go as planned for Jaso, he hopes that his next season with the Seattle Mariners will be much better.
"It was a tough year for me," Jaso said. "I don't know if it was a sophomore thing, mixed with some injuries or what. I had a tough [groin] injury in Spring Training and then an oblique during the season, and those things were pretty hard. I tried to play
with the oblique for a while, and it just wasn't working out.
Lueke on the other hand, might not be the most well known player in the league but at the age of 26, he can contribute at crucial moments, which can help a team when the deciding moments come into play.
He played in 25 games last season with Seattle, which was his first in the MLB and registered a 1-1 with 6.06 ERA.
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