Mariners keep dancing around inevitable Rob Refsnyder move in trade with Giants

The Seattle Mariners know they need a right-handed bat, and that in itself is an indictment of Rob Refsnyder more than anyone else. Yet they're still refusing to find out if cutting him might be addition by subtraction, preferring instead to keep throwing minor moves at the wall in hopes one might stick.

So, say hello to Buddy Kennedy. The Mariners acquired him from the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, sometime in the wake of a loss to the Cleveland Guardians that we'd rather not talk about. The cost was cash considerations, and Kennedy is taking what had been an open spot in the 40-man roster.

The 27-year-old from Millville, New Jersey (yup, same hometown as Mike Trout) fits the same profile as Will Wilson and Weston Wilson. He's a right-handed-hitting versatile infielder who's just kind of [waves hands] been around for a while.

Kennedy was originally a fifth-round draft pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017. He has nine minor league seasons under his belt, plus five in the majors with six different teams. The Mariners will be his seventh once he suits up for them.

Kennedy is a .285 career hitter in the minors, with a .321 average overall and .380 average against left-handers at Triple-A this year. So, you can see why he appealed to Jerry Dipoto. As Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reported over the weekend, the front office knows the team needs right-handed hitting and has cast "a wide net in scouting potential trade targets."

Mariners shouldn't need an excuse to move on from Rob Refsnyder

The Mariners need a righty bat, of course, because the ones they employ have underperformed, specifically against left-handed pitching. The club is dead-last in MLB in both average and slugging against lefties.

The switch-hitting Cal Raleigh is complicit in this, as he's gone from destroying lefties for a 186 wRC+ in 2025 to getting owned by them for a 35 wRC+ in 2026. Yet at the risk of beating a dead horse, even he's been better in that regard than Refsnyder. His 34 wRC+ against lefties is effectively a violation of his contract, given that he was brought aboard specifically to hit lefties.

Truth be told, we were waiting for a Refsnyder DFA to be the corresponding move for when Randy Arozarena came off the injured list last week. It seems the Mariners simply aren't ready to admit defeat with the 35-year-old, which might have something to do with $6.25 million being a lot of money to choke down.

If so, Kennedy isn't going to be the guy to take Refsnyder's job today. But as he's now one of six right-handed bats on the 40-man at Triple-A Tacoma, it's a long line of candidates standing and waiting for Refsnyder's job to come available. At a certain point, the Mariners might as well get on with it.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow