Mariners ship Liddi to O's in swap of signing slots

CINCINNATI -- In a move to create more money for the club to spend on international signings, the Mariners announced Saturday that they traded infielder Alex Liddi and their international signing slot No. 3 to the Orioles. In exchange, Baltimore sent its international signing slot No. 2 to Seattle.

According to Ben Badler of Baseball America, Baltimore's slot is worth $351,200, while Seattle's comes in at $277,500. With the swap, the Mariners have an extra $73,700 to work with as they look to sign international players.

The trade comes thanks to a new wrinkle in international signing this year, as teams are given a $700,000 base and a bonus pool made up of four slot values based on their 2012 record. Clubs can then exchange those values, much like the Mariners and Orioles did on Saturday.

Liddi, an international player himself from Italy, was signed by the Mariners in 2005. He appeared in eight games for the team this season, batting .059 (1-for-17). Seattle designated the 24-year-old for assignment on June 28, when the team called up Brad Miller from Triple-A Tacoma.