Mariners add OF Keon Broxton, a member of the 20/20 club
Jul 27, 2019, 1:56 PM
The Mariners have claimed 29-year-old outfielder Keon Broxton off waivers. (AP)
(AP)
The Mariners, like essentially the rest of baseball, haven’t engaged in any recent deals ahead of next Wednesday’s MLB trade deadline. But that didn’t stop them from making an interesting move on Saturday.
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Seattle has claimed 29-year-old outfielder Keon Broxton off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mariners transferred right-handed pitcher Connor Sadzeck from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.
Broxton had a breakout 2017 season with the Milwaukee Brewers, joining the 20/20 club by hitting 20 home runs and stealing 21 bases in 143 games. That to date is Broxton’s only season where he played more than 75 games in the big leagues, as consistency – and consistent playing time – has been hard to come by for him.
The Mariners should be able to find Broxton regular time either in left or center field, depending on where they decide they want to play Mallex Smith. Seattle has been without Mitch Haniger since early June, which created an opening in left field as Domingo Santana was shifted to right, where he’s proven to be more comfortable defensively.
Broxton made his MLB debut in 2015 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Mariners now become his fifth team. He began this year with the New York Mets but was designated for assignment on May 17. He was then traded to Baltimore, where he played 37 games before being DFA’d again on July 21. On the season, he is hitting .184 with four home runs and eight stolen bases in 71 games between New York and Baltimore.
The right-handed-hitting Broxton owns a career .215/.301/.397 slash line for a .698 OPS. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound outfielder was a third-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009.
Earlier on Saturday, the Mariners announced that right-handed pitcher Parker Markel was claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh. Markel was DFA’d by Seattle on July 23.
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