Couldn't hurt to add another Quad-A talent right? The Mariners, fresh off a troubling series loss against the Cleveland Guardians , have brought in Buddy Kennedy from the San Francisco Giants . It's a weird move, given the current weather around the Mariners organization. And at the same time, it's not a bad bet.
Kennedy is 27 years old, a cheap right-handed bat, and now in his seventh different MLB organization. Teams keep looking at him because the Triple-A production is loud enough to be annoying. And they keep moving on because it hasn't translated at the major league level.
Kennedy has hit .171 with a .265 on-base percentage, a .262 slugging percentage, two home runs and 20 RBI in 74 games. That line alone is enough for a Mariners fan to quickly move on from the topic. It's replaceable production that shouldn't warrant a bench spot on the major league club.
However, the minor league numbers are really fascinating. Before the Giants moved on, Kennedy was hitting .321 with eight home runs and a .967 OPS in 48 games at Triple-A Sacramento. And for a team desperate for a right-handed bat, that's enough for Seattle to want a closer look. He has shown enough in the minors to keep front offices curious, and the Mariners are clearly still searching for more insurance behind their current infield mix.
The awkward part is that we've seen this movie before. Plenty of players punish Triple-A pitching, force their way into another opportunity, then get exposed once big-league arms stop feeding them anything comfortable. Kennedy has lived in that exact space. But for a Venmo exchange? Not much to lose here.
The Mariners aren't giving up any prospect capital. They aren't blocking anyone in Triple-A with this move either. They are buying a right-handed infielder who can cover second and third base and has enough offensive history in Triple-A to justify the look. Especially since it's become more obvious they have no interest in starting the clock for any of their other talented prospects.
In the sense that the Mariners need a more dependable option from the right side of the plate, this move makes a lot of sense. They have spent nearly the entire season looking for that. Rob Refsnyder still has not gotten going, and as of June 29, he's slashing .133/.203/.219 with three home runs, nine RBI and a 22 OPS+.
Kennedy has a small chance to give them a spark, but the Mariners may want to take a closer look at him in Tacoma first. Or maybe he gets the Weston Wilson treatment, and the M's call him up almost immediately. Either way, Kennedy having a spot on the 40-man roster shows some level of intent. It feels likely we'll see him in a Mariners uniform sooner rather than later.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/mariners/onsi as Mariners Acquire Former Giants Infielder as Search for a Right-Handed Bat Continues .
