SEATTLE – The Mariners are moving veteran first baseman John Olerud off the roster, the team announced Thursday.
Catcher Pat Borders will also be leaving the team. The Mariners called up infielder Bucky Jacobsen from Triple A Tacoma and activated catcher Miguel Olivo from the disabled list in time for Thursday’s home game against the Cleveland Indians, the Mariners said.
Left-handed pitcher George Sherill will take the roster spot vacated by Matt Thornton, a left-handed starter sent back to the Rainiers on Monday.
Olerud, 35, turned down a trade to the San Francisco Giants less than two weeks ago. He has a no-trade clause in his contract, and while he said he would be willing to waive it for the right circumstances, Mariners’ general manager Bill Bavasi has not been able to find a deal to make that work, the newspaper said.
Barring a last-minute deal, Olerud will be released or sent down to the minors within 10 days. The Mariners will still owe him the $7.7 million balance on his contract.
He’s the latest in a series of players to get bumped by the Mariners (32-54).
Shortstop Rich Aurilia was released Saturday, two weeks after the Mariners traded pitcher Freddy Garcia and catcher Ben Davis.
A career .295 hitter, Olerud is hitting .245 this season and has driven in just 22 runs.
After joining Seattle in 2000, he averaged 100 RBIs in his first three seasons, but he fell off to 83 RBIs and an 11-year-low .269 batting average last year.
Jacobsen, a career minor leaguer who has been in three different organizations over the past eight years, is in the middle of his best season. He’s hit 22 doubles and 26 homers while averaging .318. And he’s driven in 86 runs for Tacoma.
Alternating between first base and DH for Tacoma, Jacobsen, 28, was the winner of the home-run derby at the Class AAA All-Star Game.
Scouts say Jacobsen’s trouble hitting the curve ball has kept him back, but he hasn’t yet had the chance to test curve balls at the big league level.
The Mariners signed Sherrill out of the independent Northern League. He was 1-0 with one save and a 1.13 ERA in the middle of the 2003 season when the Mariners signed him. He moved to Class AA San Antonio, where he was 3-0 with an 0.33 ERA in 16 games.
Sherrill, 27, who has dropped about 20 pounds since the Mariners signed him, leads Tacoma in games pitched with 36.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
