The Oakland A's have traded infielder/outfielder Danny Valencia to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for right-handed pitcher Paul Blackburn, the club announced today.
 
Valencia hit .287 with 17 home runs and 51 RBI in 130 games with Oakland this year. He started 66 of the A's 89 games before the All-Star Break at third base, but his post-break starts included 36 in right field, 15 at first base, four at designated hitter, one in left field and one at third base. The 32-year-old right-handed hitter batted .304 with 12 of his 17 home runs and 34 RBI of his 51 RBI before the break compared to .266 after the break. Valencia joined the A's Aug. 3, 2015 as a waiver claim from the Toronto Blue Jays and hit .286 with 28 home runs and 88 RBI in 177 games in an Oakland uniform. He is a .271 career hitter with 72 home runs and 303 RBI in 656 games over seven seasons with six different teams.
 
Blackburn began the year in the Chicago Cubs organization and went 6-4 with a 3.17 ERA in 18 starts with Double-A Tennessee before he was traded to Mariners organization on July 20 with Dan Vogelbach in exchange for Mike Montgomery and Jordan Pries. He was assigned to Double-A Jackson and went 3-1 with a 3.54 ERA in eight games (seven starts) with the Generals. The 22-year-old right-hander combined for a 9-5 record and a 3.27 ERA in 26 games overall and surrendered just eight home runs in 143.0 innings. Blackburn ranked sixth in the Southern League in ERA, was a midseason All-Star and started and won the clinching third game of the SL Championship Series for Jackson. A graduate of Heritage High School in Brentwood, Calif., Blackburn was selected by the Cubs as a compensation pick following the first round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft and was the 56th selection overall.