Mariners trade Daniel Vogelbach to Blue Jays for cash considerations

The Mariners’ tenure of Daniel Vogelbach is indeed officially over, though Seattle will get compensation for the 2019 All-Star’s services.

M’s GM Dipoto discusses trade deadline, Seager, Vogelbach and more

Vogelbach, who was designated for assignment Wednesday, has been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations, both teams announced Sunday night.

The 27-year-old lefty-swinging slugger has struggled mightily after he was named the Mariners’ representative in last year’s All-Star Game. Though the 6-foot, 250-pounder had established himself as a fan favorite by posting a .238/.375/.506 slash line (.881 OPS) and 21 home runs over the first 85 games of 2019, he hit just .162/.286/.340 with nine home runs in the remaining 59 games of the season.

The struggles seemed to only worsen in 2020, as he will join the Blue Jays with a .094/.250/.226 slash line and two home runs to his credit this year.

Though Vogelbach split time between first base and designated hitter in 2019, his first full season in the big leagues, the first base job in Seattle belongs now to Evan White, who has already proven himself to be a Gold Glove-caliber defender. And with Vogelbach’s problems at the plate, it quickly became apparent that the Mariners no longer had a spot for him on their roster.

Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto spoke about the tough decision to designate Vogelbach while on the air with 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny and Gallant for his weekly show on Thursday.

“Everybody does love Vogey. The first half of last year was magical to watch but the reality is that since the All-Star break last year he has struggled mightily,” Dipoto said. “We thought at this time it made more sense for us to give some of the opportunities to players we would like to find a little about as we move forward. Ultimately we had to make a tough call with a guy we all like quite a bit.”

Best of luck in your next chapter, Daniel. We’ll never forget your Vogel💣s! pic.twitter.com/LE9MqgkBfd

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 24, 2020

Though Vogelbach is joining Toronto, he will be playing his home games in Buffalo, N.Y., for now. The Blue Jays are temporarily hosting games at Sahlen Field, home of the Buffalo Bisons, their Triple-A affiliate.

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