Seattle Mariners Division Rivals Make Another Offseason Move
The Seattle Mariners made their first big moves of the offseason on Friday by declining the option of second baseman Jorge Polanco. Third baseman Luis Urias also cleared waivers and elected free agency.
The moves left the Mariners with 36 players on their 40-man roster.
And while Seattle is working out who will fill out those four spots, its American League West rivals, the Los Angeles Angels, have been among the most active teams in the early days of the offseason.
Just a day after the Angels kicked off the offseason by trading for outfielder Jorge Soler, they made another intraleague trading by acquiring Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Scott Kingery for cash considerations. The report came via MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand.
The Phillies have traded INF/OF Scott Kingery to the Angels for cash considerations.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 1, 2024
Kingery was drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft by the Phillies.
Kingery played 147 games for Philadelphia in his rookie season in 2018 and another 126 games for the club in 2019. Since then, Kingery has played a grand total of 52 games for the club. He didn't play a major league game in 2024.
Kingery showed promise in his last full season with the Phillies in 2019. He batted .258 with 19 home runs and 55 RBIs.
The Scott Kingery era is officially over.
— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) November 1, 2024
The 30-year-old has been traded to the Los Angeles Angels for cash considerations. One of the most exciting situations that just didn’t work out.
Scotty Jetpax forever.
pic.twitter.com/8mc37XSvft
Kingery saw a massive drop off in production in the 2020 COVID-19-shortened season. In 36 games played, he hit .159 with three home runs and six RBIs.
Kingery has also dealt with his fair share of injuries since 2019. He's had back spasms, a concussion, right shoulder inflammation and hamstring strains. His shoulder injury put him on the injured list on July 1, 2021, and kept him out the remainder of that year.
Los Angeles was hit big by the injury bug in 2024 and its farm system isn't well-regarded by most minor league sites. The Angels' minor league system ranked 29th in MLB Pipeline's rankings on Aug. 15 and 30th in Baseball America's list on Aug. 7.
Kingery could prove to be a big depth piece for Los Angeles' farm system and could be an emergency option if the team gets hit with injuries again.
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