The Tampa Bay Rays are close to acquiring catcher Mike Zunino from the Seattle Mariners, according to MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal.
The deal, Rosenthal reports, is pending a medical review and would send Zunino and outfielder Guillermo Heredia to the Rays for outfielder Mallex Smith.
The deal will also see each team acquire one extra minor-league player from the other, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Zunino was named the best defensive catcher of the league in 2018. On the offensive side, he slashed .201/.259/.669 with 20 home runs for the Mariners.
The deal comes two days after rumours of a potential Mariners rebuild started to surface. Seattle has the longest current post-season drought in North American sports, as the team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2001.
Smith slashed .296/.367/.406 and stole 40 bases in 2018, good for second best in the American League. He would add more speed to a roster that already has Dee Gordon, who is likely to play mostly at second base with Smith’s potential arrival.
This isn’t the first time Smith has been dealt to the Mariners, as Seattle acquired the outfielder from the Atlanta Braves in 2017, but traded him to the Rays for left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly just 77 minutes later.
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