Report: Mariners sign outfielder Nori Aoki to one-year deal
Since taking over as Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto has been very active in an effort to remodel the roster he inherited to make the team a contender in the American League West.
Dipoto’s latest move came Tuesday morning, with Seattle reportedly signing outfielder Nori Aoki to a one-year deal with an option for 2017, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Aoki, who turns 34 in January, played 93 games for the San Francisco Giants in 2015 as he was sidelined for a few weeks with a leg injury midseason and missed most of September with a concussion.
When healthy he was particularly effective, hitting .287/.353/.380. Those numbers are right in line with his career averages and show exactly what kind of offensive production can be expected from him: good contact and on-base skills, no power. He’ll be a fit at the top of a lineup hitting in front of Nelson Cruz, Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager.
[Elsewhere: The Boston Red Sox signed David Price to a massive deal]
With the Mariners Aoki will fill a corner outfield spot, which allows the Mariners to use Cruz at DH more often. Aoki joins an outfield mix that includes Cruz, Seth Smith, Franklin Gutierrez, and recently acquired center fielder Leonys Martin.
The Mariners traded Mark Trumbo to Baltimore on Monday night in exchange for catcher Steve Clevenger. Don’t expect Dipoto to be done dealing just yet, either.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
