The Seattle Mariners have made their first big move of the offseason, according to MLB.com. On Sunday, Seattle sent reliever Josh Lueke to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for catcher John Jaso.
Jaso, a 6'2" left-handed-hitting backstop, is coming off of his first full major-league season, in which he started 67 games behind the plate while batting .224 in 246 at-bats with 15 doubles, five homers and 27 RBI. Jaso is expected to provide added depth in a catching platoon with Miguel Olivo and Adam Moore, both right-handed batters.
Pitcher Josh Lueke came to the M's as part of the Cliff Lee deal in 2010. During his 2011 rookie campaign with Seattle, he made 25 appearances and posted a 6.06 ERA in 32.2 innings.
This looks to be a pretty good deal for the Mariners, as it adds versatility to their depth chart at catcher for a low cost, particularly in a 2011 free agent season that is exceptionally thin on catching talent.
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