The Atlanta Braves are bolstering their roster by trading for outfielder Jarred Kelenic, first baseman Evan White, and left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales. In return, the Seattle Mariners received pitchers Cole Phillips and Jackson Kowar.
Kelenic hit career-highs of .253/.327/.419 with 11 home runs, 13 stolen bases, and 49 runs batted in. He had 94 hits and 44 runs in 372 at-bats. The New York Mets selected Kelenic in the first round of the 2018 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft.
The Mets traded him to the Mariners in December 2018 as a part of the trade that brought Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano to Seattle. He was added to the Mariners’ 40-man roster for the first time in May 2021. He made a brief stop to AAA before returning to MLB after the All-Star break.
.@Braves acquire OF Jarred Kelenic, LHP Marco Gonzales and 1B Evan White from @Mariners for RHPs Cole Phillips and Jackson Kowar. pic.twitter.com/VgBEo7dDLz
— MLB (@MLB) December 4, 2023
Meanwhile, Evan White has spent two seasons with the Mariners before getting traded to the Braves. He was the 2020 American League Gold Glove winner at first base after achieving a 99.8 fielding percentage and turning in 36 double plays.
He played in the minors during the 2022 season after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia. This year, he missed five months of action due to a groin strain and a procedure on his left hip.
Finally, Gonzales had a 4-1 record in ten games last season. He finished with a 5.22 earned run average in 50 innings pitched. He has played six seasons with the Mariners, with his best year coming in 2018 when he posted a 13-9 record. Gonzales also played for the St. Louis Cardinals before being traded to Seattle for Tyler O’Neill.
As ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan tweeted, this transaction is a salary dump for the Mariners. The Braves will now take on White’s $7 million and Gonzales’ $12 million salaries for 2024. They will also get an improving prospect in Kelenic, who had a $729,000 contract with Seattle last season.
-Lance Fernandez