The Rangers and Mariners have agreed to a five-player trade sending outfielder Leonys Martin and right-hander Anthony Bass to Seattle for reliever Tom Wilhelmsen, outfielder James Jones and a player to be named later, the Rangers announced.
Martin, 27, appeared in only 95 games for the Rangers this past season, hitting .219/.264/.313 (55 OPS+) with five home runs and 14 stolen bases. He spent part of the season in Triple-A and also missed time following wrist surgery.
The Mariners are looking for a speedy defender to play center field in spacious Safeco Field and Martin definitely fits the bill. He lost his starting job to Delino DeShields Jr. in Texas, but did hit .268/.319/.374 (91 OPS+) from 2013-14. Martin's value comes primarily from his glove.
Wilhelmsen, 31, saved 13 games for the Mariners in 2015 and 67 overall from 2011-15. He had a 3.19 ERA (119 ERA+) with 8.7 K/9 in 62 innings across 53 appearances this season. Wilhelmsen owns a career 2.97 ERA (126 ERA+) in 312 1/3 career big-league innings.
Seattle has hard-throwing relievers to spare, hence using Wilhelmsen to get Martin. Wilhelmsen will join Shawn Tolleson, Jake Diekman and Sam Dyson at the back end of the Texas bullpen. Both teams dealt from surplus to address a need.
Martin is under team control as an arbitration-eligible player through the 2018 season. Wilhelmsen can become a free agent after 2017. Bass and Jones are depth pieces to help replace the other players being traded away.
