Adding outfield depth, the Seattle Mariners acquired veteran Justin Ruggiano on Wednesday in a trade that sent right-handed reliever Matt Brazis to the Chicago Cubs.
Ruggiano, 32, hit .281 with a .337 on-base percentage, a .429 slugging percentage, six homers and 28 RBIs in 81 games during his lone season in Chicago. He is arbitration-eligible this winter.
“I think he’s a nice fit,” Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said. “We were in pursuit of an outfielder that can play all three outfield spots. And he can do that.
“We view this guy as a guy that can certainly hit left-handed pitching. He’s done that in his career. He’s a tough kid. He’s a gamer and wants to win. I think this an addition that we talked about for a while. We finally pulled the trigger.”
Ruggiano said, “I’m definitely excited to be involved in this trade. Seattle’s lineup stacks up very well, and they have really good pitching. In a way, it was a surprise, but I’m never really shocked by anything anymore.”
Over six seasons for the Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins and Cubs, Ruggiano has a career .257/.319/.431 hitting line with 43 homers and 137 RBIs in 398 games.
Brazis, 25, went a combined 4-1 with six saves and a 2.36 ERA in 40 relief appearances between high Class A and Double-A last season.