The Seattle Mariners recently fired GM Jack Zduriencik and it hasn’t taken long for interim general manager Jeff Kingston to go to work. Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN is reporting the club has traded outfielder Austin Jackson to the Chicago Cubs. Greg Johns of MLB.com is reporting the deal is for a player to be named and a possible international slot bonus.
Hearing Jackson has been traded to the Cubs.
— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) August 31, 2015
This is the second deal the Mariners struck with the Cubs in the last week, as the two clubs agreed to a deal which sent struggling reliever Fernando Rodney from the M’s to Chicago.
Jackson has had a rough time since joining the Mariners. The outfielder peaked early in his career with the Detroit Tigers, where he was a legitimate run producer who routinely swiped 20+ bags per season while playing solid outfield defense, finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2010. His speed has since declined with his bat also slowing down. After the Tigers traded him, his first half season with Seattle was atrocious, hitting .229/.267/.270 and no home runs in 54 games. This year he’s bounced back to a small degree, batting .272/.312/.387 with 8 home runs and 15 stolen bases (although he’s been caught 9 times).
The role Jackson will likely have with the Cubs is as a fourth outfielder. As Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports notes, with Jorge Soler out with an injury, the club’s only right-handed hitting outfielders were Chris Denorfia and Matt Szczur, so this helps improve the club’s depth for the time being. The move allows the Mariners to use Brad Miller in center field on a regular basis.
