On the night of Saturday, June 15th, 2019 a big time Major League Baseball trade went down. The Seattle Mariners traded Edwin Encarnacion to the New York Yankees. The Mariners will receive cash considerations as well as the minor league pitcher, Juan Then.

Juan Then is a righthanded pitcher from the Dominican Republic. He is only 19 years old, and he returns back to the Seattle Mariners organization after the Yankees got him from the Mariners back in 2017.

Yankees Designated Hitter Position:

The New York Yankees did not have an every day player slotted in the designated hitter position of their lineup. They were rotating players such as Gary Sanchez, Clint Frazier, and Luke Voit at the DH position. With the acquisition of Encarnacion they have a pure slugger that can fill the designated hitter spot on a daily basis. The 36 year old veteran can also be used to play first base occasionally when needed.

Encarnacion’s 2019 MLB Season:

The three time MLB All Star is having another outstanding season at the plate. He is currently the American League home run leader with 22 home runs so far this season. Edwin has 59 total hits. He has 50 runs batted in and has crossed the plate to score 49 runs thus far during his 2019 MLB campaign. He has a batting average of .237 while carrying a .350 on base percentage. His Slugging percentage is .530 and his on base + slugging percentage is .880. His wins above replacement is at 2.0 at the moment. He is a great baseball player and should help the Yankees win immediately.

His Reaction to Trade:

“I definitely was surprised when it happened, but at the same time I got super excited,” says Encarnacion. “I knew I was going to be traded. I didn’t know what team. I didn’t expect to be traded to the Yankees.

“There were a lot of other teams that had been talking about it. It surprised me the first time I heard it was the Yankees. I said, ‘Oooh!’ At the same time, I like it.”

“I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish,” Encarnacion explained. “It’s going to be fun. I know we are going to hit a lot of games and we’re going to win a lot of games, too.”

Media Statements from Teammates and Manager:

“There’s always room for good players,” says Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

“I don’t know what he felt about his situation [in Seattle], but I think anybody’s excited to come to the Yankees with the potential that we feel like we have this year,” Yankees starting pitcher, J.A. Happ, exclaimed. “He’s going to fit right in with our lineup. Taking a little pressure off other guys is a good thing.”

“He doesn’t say a lot, but he works hard and he’s prepared,” says Happ. “Those are some of the reasons I think he’s going to really enjoy it here.”