The New York Yankees made a huge splash prior to next weekend’s trade deadline acquiring the face of the Seattle Mariners franchise for over a decade in Ichiro Suzuki. In exchange for Ichiro the Yankees sent minor league pitchers DJ Mitchell and Danny Fahrquar to Seattle according to Jack Curry of the YES Network.
After making his way to the United States and signing with the Mariners back in 2001, the 38-year-old Ichiro has seen a significant decline in his offensive numbers as he’s hitting just .261/.288/.353 this season. Still the two-time AL batting champion should benefit from making the switch from the very spacious Safeco outfield to Yankee Stadium.
Ichiro is also in the final year of his contract and is owed roughly $6.7 million of his $17 million dollar salary. According to MLBTradeRumors.com, the Yankees will be responsible for $2.25 million of that salary meaning the Mariners are including somewhere around $4.5 million to get the deal off the ground.
The Yankees’ interest in the veteran outfielder more than likely increased after the team learned that Brett Gardner suffered a setback in his rehab assignment.
To make room for Ichiro, the Yankees designated Dewayne Wise for assignment.
Ref: MLBTradeRumors.com