SEATTLE – Bret Boone, Joel Pineiro and their families were sharing an afternoon of sunshine around a Las Vegas pool Monday when Boone’s phone rang with the call he’d been hoping to get.
The Seattle Mariners had traded him to the Minnesota Twins and, suddenly an opponent and not a teammate, Boone told Pineiro in the only way he knew how.
“Joel, I’m going to take you deep and then I’ll flip you,” Boone told the Mariners’ right-handed pitcher, already looking forward to the Twins’ three-game series at Seattle on Aug. 8, 9 and 10.
Enthused about his new team, Boone is looking forward to more home runs with the Twins and, along with them, more “Boonie bat flips” after he hits them.
“This is the team I wanted to go to,” said Boone, who joins the Twins on Thursday for their home game against the Los Angeles Angels. “I like how they go about their business and how they find a way to win every year. It seems like a good fit and I’m really excited about it.”
Boone also is prepared for another tear-jerking moment when he returns to Safeco Field next month. It will be the first opportunity for Seattle fans to give Boone an ovation since the Mariners designated him for assignment July 3.
He cried while talking with reporters that day.
“The people of Seattle have been unbelievable to me, and that’s why I was so emotional,” Boone said. “It was very humbling to see the people’s reaction, to see tears in their eyes, the day I left. It makes you feel sad, but at same time it makes you feel you were appreciated, and I don’t think there’s a bigger compliment than that.”
The Mariners traded Boone eight days after they designated him for assignment, which ended a 41/2-year run in which he became the most productive second baseman in team history. Boone struggled this season, slipping to a .231 batting average with seven home runs and 34 RBI.
With Boone in the final year of a contract that’s paying him about $9 million, and with 21-year-old prospect Jose Lopez deemed ready for the major leagues, the Mariners pursued trades. The spoke seriously last month with the San Diego Padres but couldn’t finalize a trade.
On July 3, the Mariners designated Boone for assignment, beginning an eight-day period in which they could trade him before placing him on waivers.
Down to the final hours before the 11 a.m. deadline to waive him, the Mariners traded Boone to the Twins on Monday.
The Mariners also sent cash, believed to be most of what remained of what’s owed him this season. In return, they will get a player from the Twins organization, to be determined at a later date.
The trade ended eight days of waiting and wondering for Boone.
“It was very strange,” he said. “I was pulling for my buddies and watching them sweep Anaheim. Yesterday I was playing golf with my younger brother. I haven’t been in the middle of the summer with free time on my hands.”
Free time ends Thursday, when Boone expects to be in the Twins’ lineup against the Angels.
The Twins are hoping Boone will bring stability on both offense and defense at the second base position, and ignite an offense that has struggled to score runs much like the Mariners this season. Luis Rivas lost his job as the starting second baseman and his replacement, Nick Punto, has suffered from a hamstring injury and hitting problems.
The Twins are 11th among 14 American League teams with 396 runs and seventh with 80 home runs.
Boone, a career .271 hitter at the Metrodome, had heard rumors about the Twins’ interest in him. He spoke at length with Mariners closer Eddie Guardado, a former Twin, about the Minnesota organization and manager Ron Gardenhire.
“He couldn’t say enough good things about them, the organization and the guys,” Boone said. “That’s important to me, and I’ve always felt comfortable hitting there.
“I still want to thank all the people in Seattle and wish them nothing but the best. And I want to wish the team nothing but the best. But now’s the time for me to worry about being a Twin.”
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