Mariners notebook: With Austin Jackson traded, Brad Miller moves to center field

HOUSTON – With the waiver trade deadline just hours away, the Mariners made a move on Monday. Shortly before 5 o’clock local time, Austin Jackson was called into the manager’s office and told he had been traded to the Chicago Cubs.

“You never know,” Jackson answered when asked if he had kept a nervous eye on the clock as the deadline approached. “You hear rumors and take it with a grain of salt. You come to the field with one job on your field, to win a ballgame.”

A little over a year ago Jackson was pulled from a game in Detroit to be told he was heading to a Mariners team that was hoping to make a push for the playoffs. Today he heads to another team that could be playoff bound.

“It should be a lot of fun to join them and do whatever I can to help,” he said. “Any time you can kind of see that light at the end of the tunnel it gives you that extra bit of motivation each and every day when you are going out there.”

Jackson will be a free agent at the end of the year, and with the Mariners all but eliminated from the postseason the trade makes sense on a number of levels.

“Obviously we would prefer to be buyers rather than sellers at this point, but I think for us and the Seattle Mariners at this point in time it is more about looking at the future of looking ahead, trying to balance the long term with the short term,” said assistant general manager Jeff Kingston.

The Mariners pick up a player to be named later and International Bonus Slot No. 98 from the Cubs. The slot money, about $211,000, is significant as the Mariners had spent all of their international slot money this year and this will allow them to sign a few more players. It also gives them a chance to look at Brad Miller in center field, something we should see a lot, according to Kingston.

“It gives us a chance to play Brad Miller in center field down the stretch,” he said. “I think at this point and time that’s probably his best fit for this organization going forward. We think he has the components and skillset to play out there, and if he can play out there it’s a huge asset for this organization moving forward.”

A huge asset, especially if Ketel Marte can continue to succeed at the Major League level. They will have a month to figure out if both are long term answers or if they are items that need to be addressed in the offseason, an offseason where there will be a number of needs.

For Jackson, he leaves with the disappointment that this Mariners team didn’t do what many would think it would this year, but there are positives he takes as well.

“I got a chance to be around a lot of good players,” he said. “I’m talking about Nelson (Cruz) a lot. I think he is just one of those players that I think he makes you a better player. Robbie (Cano) to kind of pick his brain a little bit and playing behind Felix (Hernandez), those are things you can put in your memory bank and store them for another day, maybe for the grandkids. Some pretty good moments.”

Lineup!

Ketel Marte, SS
Kyle Seager, 3B
Nelson Cruz, RF
Robinson Cano, 2B
Franklin Gutierrez, LF
Mark Trumbo, 1B
Jesus Montero, DH
Brad Miller, CF
Jesus Sucre, C

Vidal Nuno, LHP

Notes

• Jackson was in the original lineup with Miller at short today. Early this afternoon Ketel Marte worked out with head trainer Rick Griffin, who put him through a number of drills to test his hamstring that took him out of Saturday’s game. After the workout and before the trade Marte told me he could play tonight if needed.

• Joe Beimel, working back from an injury, threw yesterday for the Rainiers and gave up a run in an inning. Lloyd McClendon called the outing “just okay.” He will pitch at least once more for the Rainiers before returning.

• McClendon said he should have enough arms available in the pen if needed tonight. Rosters can expand tomorrow so there should be plenty of help after tonight.

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