Seattle Mariners: Jesus Sucre’s Offensive Limitations Proved Costly
By Paul Taylor
Jesus Sucre was effective behind the plate, but his lack of offense ultimately cost him with the Seattle Mariners.
The Seattle Mariners have been extremely active since Jerry Dipoto took over as general manager, as evidenced by 36 trades since September 2015. Now you can make it 37.
As reported by Brady Henderson of 710 ESPN Seattle, the Mariners have traded Jesus Sucre to the Tampa Bay Rays. In exchange, they will receive cash considerations or a player to be named later.
Sucre made 90 appearances in the Majors for the Mariners, between 2013-16. The highlight of his time in Seattle was arguably catching Hisashi Iwakuma‘s no-hitter on August 12th, 2015.
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In that respect, the 28-year old was fairly effective between the plate. As noted by Steve Adams of mlbtraderumors.com, he had excellent arm strength, which helped him throw out 35 percent of attempted bag-stealers during his time in the Majors.
In addition, Sucre usually received average to above-average marks for his pitch-framing skills. However, it was his offensive limitations which ultimately cost him in Seattle.
Over the course of 264 plates appearances at the Major League level, the Venezuelan native produced a poor .209/.246/.276 batting line. This ineffectiveness was perhaps best highlighted by only hitting two home runs and 20 RBIs.
The Mariners designated Sucre for assignment back on January 26th, to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. After clearing waivers, he was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma.
There was a growing sentiment the former Atlanta Braves free agent pickup would even struggle for playing time in Tacoma, ultimately leading to his trade. He will now head to spring training with the Rays as a non-roster invitee, in the hope of reviving his career.
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What’s your opinion regarding Sucre? Would you have liked to see him stick around, or are you fine with the Mariners trading him away? Share your thoughts in the comments section.