The Mariners added some infield depth Thursday when they signed veteran Tommy La Stella to a one-year deal, the club announced. To make room for La Stella on the 40-man roster, left-hander Justus Sheffield was designated for assignment.
La Stella, who turns 34 on Jan. 31, spent the last two seasons with the Giants, battling injuries along the way. He played in only 76 games in 2021 and was held to 60 games last year, slashing .239/.282/.350. He finished the year on the injured list with neck spasms. Seattle will put La Stella in the mix in the middle of the infield as a left-handed-hitting option who can play second base behind Kolten Wong and third base behind Eugenio Suárez.
La Stella was designated for assignment in December by the Giants, who owed him $11.5 million for 2023. The Mariners will be on the hook for the prorated league minimum while he’s on the Major League roster, with the Giants picking up the rest, so this is a low-risk acquisition for Seattle.
The Mariners will be La Stella’s fourth team since he left the Cubs following the 2018 season. He was an All-Star with the Angels in 2019, when he slashed .295/.346/.486 with 16 homers and 44 RBIs, and he posted a 126 OPS+ as recently as 2020 with the Angels and A’s. That earned him a three-year deal with the Giants.