RADIO
The New York Yankees made a small move that could go a long way when they acquired utility player Dustin Ackley from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Ramon Flores and pitcher Jose Ramirez.
Ackley, 27, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft by Seattle. He hasn’t quite lived up the selection during his five-year MLB career. His best season was his rookie year in 2011 when he had a .273 BA with 6 HR and 36 RBI in 90 games. He has a career .243/.306/.366 batting line over 584 games. The Yankees aren’t giving up much as it’s a low-risk and potentially high-reward move.
In 85 games this season, Ackley has 6 HR with 19 RBI and a .215 BA. The new team could wake him up as the Mariners aren’t in the hunt for October while the Yankees continue to expand their lead in the American League East.
Flores played in 12 games with New York this season. He had a .219 BA in 33 at-bats but never was able to show if he could hang at the highest level. He was crushing it with Triple-A Scranton this season before he was called up with a .286 BA with 7 HR and 34 RBI as a utility player. He could be a player of the future in Seattle.
Ramirez came out of the bullpen for the Yankees three times this season. The right-hander didn’t fair too well by allowing five runs in three innings pitched. He’s been used as a bullpen pitcher this year in Triple-A. He had a 2.90 ERA and could be coming out of the bullpen with the Mariners this year.
