Mariners reacquire INF Shenton from Rays

SEATTLE -- The Mariners executed a minor trade on Tuesday afternoon that brought together some full-circle feels, acquiring infielder Austin Shenton from the Rays for cash considerations.

Shenton, 26, was a fifth-round Draft pick by Seattle in 2019 -- and a once-coveted prospect within the Mariners' farm system -- before he was dealt to Tampa Bay at the '21 Trade Deadline as the key piece to acquire leverage reliever Diego Castillo.

In a corresponding 40-man roster move, reliever JT Chargois was designated for assignment.

TRADE DETAILS
Mariners receive: INF Austin Shenton
Rays receive: Cash considerations

Shenton will be in consideration for Seattle’s Opening Day contingent, but with the caveat of how the rest of its roster looks like by the offseason’s end. The club is still seeking multiple infielders outside of shortstop, with platoon options Josh Rojas and Dylan Moore already in-house. Sources said that left-handed bats -- like Shenton -- were an area of need for depth purposes.

Regardless, as things stand, Shenton will be in consideration as a bench bat throughout the year, especially given that he has Minor League options remaining.

Tuesday’s transactions had a congruence to them in many ways within the purview of Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto. In that same ‘21 trade involving Shenton, Chargois was sent to Tampa Bay as the primary return for the Rays, who were looking to replace Castillo’s void in their march to an eventual American League East title.

Similarly, albeit in a more dramatic fashion, Castillo at the time essentially replaced Kendall Graveman in Seattle’s bullpen, after Graveman was dealt to Houston two days prior in one of Dipoto’s more polarizing trades since he took over after the 2015 season.

Which brings things full circle to Tuesday.

Shenton was DFA’d by the Rays on Monday as they looked to clear roster space ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for teams to add eligible prospects to their 40-man roster to protect them from next month’s Rule 5 Draft. Tampa Bay added two players among that criteria, leaving Shenton as the odd man out in said roster crunch.

Relatedly, the Mariners did not make any such additions, and the only eligible players they would’ve needed to protect among their Top 30 prospects were right-hander Taylor Dollard (No. 21), righty Jimmy Joyce (No. 23) and outfielder Carlos Jimenez (No. 28).

The Rule 5 Draft will take place on Dec. 11 during the MLB Winter Meetings in Dallas.

Shenton made the Rays’ Opening Day roster -- and with it, his MLB debut -- due to a series of Spring Training injuries to key lefty hitters but otherwise played sparingly, with a slash line of .214/.340/.405 over 50 plate appearances across 19 games. He thrived at Triple-A, slashing .276/.391/.541 over 144 games from 2023-24.

A native of Spokane, Wash., Shenton played for Bellingham High School then at Florida International University, where he blossomed into the coveted prospect whom the Mariners selected in 2019. He was Seattle’s No. 19 prospect entering the '21 season.

Chargois, who had a symmetrical path back to Seattle realized at last season’s Trade Deadline, when he was acquired from the Marlins, made 21 appearances for the Mariners down the stretch, posting a 2.75 ERA in 19 2/3 innings. He earned $1.285 million in 2024 and was slated to earn either that much or more as he entered his final year of arbitration eligibility -- which likely contributed to Tuesday’s decision to part ways.

The Mariners -- and the rest of MLB's 30 clubs -- also face roster decisions this Friday at 5 p.m. PT, when they must decide whether to tender contracts on the rest of their arbitration-eligible players.