Braves add intriguing option to the outfield mix in trade with Mariners

Kelenic is coming off a season where he posted a .253/.327/.419 slash line with 38 extra-base hits and 49 RBI in 105 games played for the Mariners. The outfielder never fully met his potential with the Mariners after coming over from the New York Mets in the Edwin Diaz trade in 2018.

Only 24 years old and with plenty of pop in his bat, Kelenic is joining a deep lineup in Atlanta, and if he can show the ability to stay healthy over a full season he could have the breakout season that many have been calling for since his debut. 

Gonzales is coming off a disappointing season that was lost to injury after making 10 starts for the Mariners, going 4-1 with a 5.22 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 29 earned runs in 50 innings pitched.

In seven years with the Mariners, the 31-year-old left-hander went 61-47 with a 4.08 ERA in 852.1 innings pitched. The Braves will hope that he can bounce back to his normal form in 2024 and provide the Braves with solid innings out of the bottom of their rotation.

White is a 27-year-old first baseman who was once one of the top prospects in the Mariners organization and also was one of the six players in MLB history to receive a contract extension with their team before making their MLB debut, which is now starting to happen more often. 

Known for being one of the best fielders at his position, he was never able to figure it out at the plate in his two stints in the MLB, slashing .165/.235/.308 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI in 84 career games.

Phillips is a 20-year-old right-hander who was a second-round pick in 2022 and ranked as the seventh-best prospect in the Braves farm system. Although he has yet to pitch in the minors due to having Tommy John surgery, he has the talent to be a starter at the MLB level.

After shipping out third baseman Eugenio Suarez in a separate trade earlier this offseason, the Mariners were also able to move the money owed to both Gonzales and White in this trade. 

Besides the payroll the have shed, the Mariners also have continued to drop hitters prone to strikeouts after ranking second in the MLB with 1603 last season with Suarez, Kelenic and free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez all gone. 

The Mariners will be in the market for a bat to add some protection to their lineup behind rising superstar outfielder Julio Rodriguez, but it might not be the big splash fans entered the offseason hoping for.