Mariners Acquire OF Leonys Martin and RHP Anthony Bass From Texas
Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today that the club has acquired outfielder Leonys Martin and right-handed pitcher Anthony Bass from the Texas Rangers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen, outfielder James Jones and a player to be named later.
"The addition of Martin gives us a premier defensive center fielder," said Dipoto. "His athleticism and speed will be strong additions to our lineup as we continue to mold the roster. Bass will give our club added flexibility and depth in our bullpen."
Martin, 27, hit .219 (63x288) with 26 runs, 12 doubles, 5 home runs, 25 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 95 games with Texas last season. His season was interrupted when he suffered a hamate fracture on his right hand on Aug. 13 while with AAA Round Rock. He underwent surgery on Aug. 26 to remove the hamate bone. Martin was activated from the minor league disabled list and recalled to Texas on Sept. 20, appearing in one game the remainder of the season.
Over the last three seasons (2013-15), Martin ranks 4th in the Majors amongst center fielders in defensive runs saved (44) behind the Mets Juan Lagares (56), Royals Lorenzo Cain (49) and Astros Carlos Gomez (46).
In his previous two full seasons (2013-14), combined to hit .268 (265x990) with 134 runs, 34 doubles, 13 triples, 15 home runs, 89 RBI and 67 stolen bases in 302 games with the Rangers. His 81 stolen bases over the last three seasons (2013-2015) rank 6th in the American League. During his career he has appeared at all three outfield positions, playing center field (393 G, 333 GS), right field (21 G, 11 GS) and left field (10 G, 6 GS).
Leonys defected from Cuba in the late summer of 2010 and established residency in Mexico before signing with the Texas organization. During his career in Cuba, he played five seasons with Villa Clara in the Serie Nacional Cuban League, where he hit .314 (417x1329) with 329 runs, 62 doubles, 1 triple and 38 home runs.
Bass, 28, went 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA (32 ER, 64.0 IP) in 33 relief appearances with Texas in 2015. He limited opponents to a .269 (66x245) average, while walking 20 and striking out 45. Bass tossed at least 2.0 innings in 15 of his 33 relief appearances, going 0-0 with a 3.35 ERA (17 ER, 45.2 IP) in those games. He also made two relief appearances in a brief stint with Triple-A Round Rock, July 27-Aug. 6. Bass signed with the Texas as a minor league free agent on December 11, 2014 and made the Rangers Opening Day roster after being selected by the team on April 5, 2015.
Bass was originally selected by San Diego in the 5th round of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Wayne State University and made his Major League debut with Padres in 2011. He was traded from the Padres to Houston for a player to be named later (Patrick Schuster) on December 11, 2013 and spent only 2014 season with the Astros. Over 5 seasons in the Majors with San Diego (2011-13), Houston (2014) and Texas (2015), Bass has compiled a 5-9 record with a 4.50 ERA (136 ER, 278.1 IP) in 129 games, 18 starts.
Jones, 27, appeared in 28 games in center field (20 G, 6 GS) & right field (6 G), hitting .103 (3x29) with 1 run, 1 double and 2 walks during three stints with Seattle last season. He hit .272 (72x265) with 47 runs, 12 doubles, 7 triples, 1 home run, 28 RBI, 38 walks and 25 stolen bases in 72 games with AAA Tacoma. He has played in seven seasons in the Mariners organization after being selected in the 4th round of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus (Brooklyn, NY).
Wilhelmsen, 31, was 2-2, 13-for-15 in save opportunities and posted a 3.19 ERA (22 ER, 62.0 IP) with 60 strikeouts in 53 games with Seattle including 11-for-13 in save opportunities with a 0.95 ERA (2 ER, 19.0 IP) with 17 strikeouts in his final 17 games (Aug. 17-end of season). In five seasons with the Mariners, he was 11-10 with 67 saves and a 2.97 ERA (103 ER, 312.1 IP) with 294 strikeouts in 267 games including 2 starts. He signed with the Mariners as a minor league free agent before the 2010 season after taking time away from baseball. He originally played in the minors with Milwaukee in 2003 after being selected in the 7th round of the 2002 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Tucson High Magnet School (Tucson, AZ).