Mariners trading OF Kelenic, others to Braves
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Jeff Passan, ESPN
NASHVILLE — The Atlanta Braves acquired outfielder Jarred Kelenic, left-hander Marco Gonzales and first baseman Evan White from the Seattle Mariners for right-handers Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips on Sunday, kicking off the winter meetings with a money-dump deal by the Mariners that netted the Braves the high-upside outfielder.
The trade, which represents the second purge of veterans by the Mariners after they dealt third baseman Eugenio Suarez to Arizona earlier in the winter, will save Seattle a significant amount of future guaranteed money. While the Mariners included an unknown amount of cash in the deal, White and Gonzales are owed $29 million.
The Braves, in the market for a left fielder and rotation help, were willing to take on the money for the 24-year-old Kelenic, who has shown flashes of greatness and will slot into a lineup that this year slugged .501, the highest mark in Major League Baseball history. Kelenic batted .253/.327/.419 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs in 105 games, missing a chunk of time after breaking his foot when he kicked a water cooler in frustration after a strikeout.
Kelenic was the last player remaining from the blockbuster 2018 trade that sent closer Edwin Diaz and second baseman Robinson Cano to the New York Mets. At one point a top-five prospect in baseball, Kelenic possesses massive power — he hit a 482-foot home run at Wrigley Field this year — but has struggled to make contact, striking out 132 times in 416 plate appearances in 2023. With just under two years of service time, Kelenic is not set to reach free agency until following the 2028 season.
Gonzales, 31, is coming off surgery to alleviate a nerve issue in his arm. A reliable innings-eater in prior seasons, he went 4-1 with a 5.22 ERA in 50 innings over 10 starts this year before the injury sidelined him and eventually led to the procedure. He will make $12 million in 2024 and has a $15 million option for 2025.
The Mariners signed White to a six-year, $24 million contract before his major league debut in 2020. White struggled in his rookie season while playing first base full time and lost the job to Ty France during 2021, hitting .165/.235/.308 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs over 84 games combined in his two major league seasons. Injuries have plagued him the past two seasons at Triple-A, and he is owed $15 million over the next two seasons, with a $2 million buyout in 2026 on the first of three options the Braves now hold.
Losing Gonzales, White and Suarez — who is making $11 million this season — takes the Mariners’ payroll into the $110 million range, well below their $137 million Opening Day payroll last season. Seattle, which won 88 games this year and finished a game shy of the postseason, could hit the trade market or free agent market to supplement an offense that also lost right fielder Teoscar Hernandez to free agency.
With their bounty of young, homegrown starting pitchers, the Mariners are an attractive trade partner for teams spooked by a free agent market in which back-end starting pitching costs at least $10 million a year.
“I want to thank Marco, JK and Evan for their contributions to the club,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. “All three played key roles at different stages of our growth over the past several seasons. As we continue to work through this offseason with the goal of improving our team for 2024 and beyond, we believe the additions of Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips, as well as the roster and payroll flexibility created tonight, will move us closer to that goal.”
Phillips, 20, was taken by Atlanta in the second round of the 2022 draft after undergoing Tommy John surgery that April. He has yet to throw a pitch as a professional but is seen by scouts as a high-upside arm with a blazing fastball and good breaking ball.
Kowar, 27, was a first-round pick by Kansas City in 2018 and posted a 9.12 ERA in three seasons with the Royals, during which he struck out 75, walked 51 and allowed 15 home runs and an opponent slash line of .330/.424/.559 in 74 big league innings. He was traded to the Braves on Nov. 17 for right-hander Kyle Wright.
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Greg Wyshynski
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Carolina Hurricanes are benching starter Frederik Andersen for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Backup Pyotr Kochetkov, who replaced Andersen for the third period of their 5-0 loss to the Florida Panthers in Thursday’s Game 2, will get the start. Florida holds a 2-0 series lead over Carolina with Game 3 scheduled for Saturday night in Sunrise.
“Just change the vibe a little bit. I don’t blame Freddie for any of the goals that went in. Obviously, save percentage isn’t great, if you look at that. We do need some saves,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said.
Before Game 1 against Florida, Andersen had allowed only 12 goals in nine playoff games for a .937 save percentage and a 1.36 goals-against average. But in two games against Florida, Andersen has given up nine goals on 36 shots, a .750 save percentage and a 5.54 GAA.
Defenseman Jaccob Slavin had nothing but praise for Andersen on the morning of Game 3, minutes before Brind’Amour announced the goalie change.
“He’s a stone wall back there. He has been all year, He’s a calm presence, and he’s not going to go out outside of his game to try to do anything crazy. So that gives a huge confidence,” Slavin said.
Kochetkov gave up one goal on five shots faced in Game 2. He saw action in the Hurricanes’ first-round win over the New Jersey Devils after Andersen was injured in a collision with Devils forward Timo Meier, giving up five goals on 50 shots in two Carolina victories.
Overall, Kochetkov has appeared in nine career playoff games with a save percentage of .871 and a 3.52 GAA.
Kochetkov saw the majority of the starts in the regular season for the Hurricanes, going 27-16-3 in 47 starts with a .898 save percentage and a 2.60 GAA.
The change comes as the Hurricanes desperately try to get back into a series in which the Panthers have outscored them 10-2. But there are other lineup considerations for Carolina. Brind’Amour said defensemen Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker are both game-time decisions. Chatfield has yet to appear in the conference finals with an undisclosed injury. Walker was shaken up in Game 2 on a hit from Florida forward A.J. Greer.
Center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who was a healthy scratch in Game 2, is expected back in the Hurricanes’ lineup.
Puck drop for Game 3 of the East finals is 8 p.m. ET.
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Greg Wyshynski
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart will miss Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals with a lower body injury.
The Panthers lead the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0, with the action shifting to Sunrise on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
Reinhart was Florida’s leading scorer in the regular season with 81 points in 79 games, including a team-high 39 goals. He is a finalist for the Selke Trophy, awarded to the best defensive forward in the NHL. Reinhart scored 57 goals for the Panthers in 2023-24 to earn an eight-year, $69 million contract extension.
He left the Panthers’ 5-0 win in Game 2 on Thursday after a first-period hit by Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho as Reinhart carried the puck into the offensive zone. Aho appeared to make contact with Reinhart’s left knee. Reinhart’s last shift ended with 2:08 left in the first period.
Reinhart underwent testing Friday and was ruled out by coach Paul Maurice on Saturday. Maurice listed him as day-to-day after the Panthers’ morning skate.
The 29-year-old has 11 points in 14 playoff games, skating on the team’s top line with captain Aleksander Barkov and Evan Rodrigues. Reinhart was second on the Panthers with 10 goals during their Stanley Cup championship run in 2024.
Maurice said Reinhart is “a significant player” out of the lineup, one who contributes to the power play and penalty kill.
Forward Jesper Boqvist will draw into Reinhart’s spot alongside Barkov. The 26-year-old has one goal and one assist in nine playoff games this season but has averaged just 8:52 in ice time.
Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad said the Panthers have plenty of experience picking up the slack for players who are out of their lineup. Florida had only 12 players who played at least 76 games in the regular season.
“Not necessarily losing Rhino, but up and down the line of losing guys. It’s never easy, but it’s a team effort and has always been there for us. Not replace him, because he’s irreplaceable, but do our best,” Ekblad said.
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