Ichiro Suzuki is about as steady as they come in Major League Baseball, but that did not keep the New York Yankees from putting him on waivers last week.
Currently the rightfielder is batting .277/.326/.324 with 10 stolen bases. He is a very consistent player who gets on base, and is one of the Yankees' speediest runners. He was not suppose to be the Yanks everyday rightfielder, but he has done pretty well in the role so far. However, now that the Yankees picked up Martin Prado from the Diamondbacks, many expect Suzuki's playing time to go down in NYC.
It's been reported that the Yankees have been trying to shed Suzuki since the beginning of the season. This comes as no surprise, especially since current GM Brian Cashman had nothing to do with bringing him to the team. Currently, the Yankees are 61-56 and are 6 behind the Orioles in the American League East. Most believe that the most sensible way for the Yankees to close that gap is to improve their beleaguered pitching staff.
His old team, the Seattle Mariners, made some outfield pick-ups lately, acquiring Austin Jackson from the Detroit Tigers, and Chris Denorfia from the San Diego Padres.
At the time of the trade, Seattle Manager Lloyd McClendon was hoping it would inspire the team, but they still find themselves falling behind the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels in the American League West.
"These situations usually give you a shot in the arm," McClendon told the Seattle Times after the trade. "Hopefully, that's the case here. I know he's(Jackson) excited about coming here with a chance to win."
Currently the Mariners are 62-55, and if they really wanted a trade that might inspire the team, they should think long and hard about bringing Suzuki back to the northwest. It's well known that he played his best baseball in Seattle, and has long been one of the franchises most liked and respected players.
The Seattle Post Intelligencer pointed out that even though Suzuki is not in his prime years, he has tremendous baseball sense and would almost serve as a player/coach for the young Seattle outfielders who have had some trouble hitting consistently this year. Also, it would be a class move, extended to one of the leagues classiest players, not to mention it would sell some tickets.
The Yankees sent two pitching prospects to the Mariners to make the trade before, so maybe they could return the favor and send the Yankees some pitchers to help out their situation.
Although it is unlikely to happen, Suzuki back to the Mariners might be the best story either ball club ends up with when it's all done this season. It doesn't look like either club will catch their division rivals, but they could both gain from this trade in the long run.
