Veteran Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Marlon Byrd has a no-trade clause that could prevent him from being traded to four teams. The Seattle Mariners are one of those teams. So the idea that Byrd could find himself traded to the Pacific Northwest doesn’t make a whole lot of sense on the surface.
That’s just on the surface. When Byrd signed his current deal back in November, the Mariners were nowhere near the team that they are today. According to reports, the Phillies and Mariners are in serious discussions to send Byrd to the American League.
Source said that #Mariners have had serious discussions with Phillies about Marlon Byrd. Said he is willing to waive his no trade clause.
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) July 13, 2014
This is a fortunate turn of events for a Mariners team that needs a shot in the arm offensively. The 36-year-old Byrd is hitting .263 with 18 homers and 54 RBI’s on the season.
He would be a dramatic upgrade to a lineup that needs to start picking up stellar pitching if the Mariners are going to contend with the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angles in the American League West.
Photo: Metro.com