TEXAS TRADES KIVLEHAN BACK TO SEATTLE
The Seattle Mariners acquired outfielder/infielder Patrick Kivlehan from the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later.
What does it give the Seattle Mariners
Kivlehan already knows the Mariners well, since the team drafted him in 2012. He gets a chance to re-start his career with this trade, after batting a dismal .184 for the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate this season. Kivlehan is a late-blooming infielder/outfielder who is a good athlete and showed an ability to make consistent contact (with good power) in the lower minors. Seattle clearly knows what it has in him, so Kivlehan gets another chance here. To make room on the 40-man roster, pitcher Evan Scribner was moved to the 60-day disabled list.
What does it give the Texas Rangers
Things just didn't pan out for Kivlehan in the Rangers organization after he was acquired from the Mariners in the off-season. He needs to make contact more consistently at the Triple-A level (and eventually in the majors), which is something he simply did not do while with the Texas organization. Kivlehan seemed like somewhat of a throw-in by Seattle in the summer swap that sent Leonys Martin to the Mariners, so for now Texas doesn't lose much here.
Fantasy impact
At 26, Kivlehan is an aging prospect so he probably shouldn't be on the radar for most fantasy leaguers. Then again, he showed a nice power stroke (plus the ability to make good contact) in the lower minors, so he might be a name to remember for down the road if he can get a handle on Triple-A pitching.
