SUNDAY: The Mariners have had serious discussions with the Phillies about Byrd, who is said to be willing to waive his no-trade clause, tweets Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.
SATURDAY: The Mariners appear likely to try to acquire a righty-hitting outfielder, and CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman has the latest on trade possibilities they might pursue. Heyman notes that the Mariners have scouted Marlon Byrd, as ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported yesterday (on Twitter). Byrd has a four-team no-trade clause that includes the Mariners, although he told CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury that the no-trade to the Mariners and Royals “really are things that were just put on at the time being.” The 36-year-old Byrd is hitting .263/.315/.484 for Philadelphia this season, with 18 homers in 381 plate appearances.
Byrd is signed through 2015 with a team/vesting option for 2016, and Heyman notes that if the Mariners prefer a contract that could expire after the season, they could instead pursue Josh Willingham of the Twins or Alex Rios of the Rangers (who has a $13.5MM option and a $1MM buyout for 2015). Dayan Viciedo of the White Sox or Junior Lake of the Cubs could also be possibilities.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
