When the Seattle Mariners traded Jarred Kelenic away to the Atlanta Braves in what was essentially a salary dump, the fan base was nervous that the deal was going to backfire. Instead, the Kelenic deal has aged extremely poorly for the Braves, and quite well for Seattle.
Kelenic never lived up to the hype in Seattle. The Mariners got him when he was considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball in the deal that sent Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano to the New York Mets. While he never was a star in Seattle, he did have a solid 2023 campaign in a Mariners uniform, slashing .253/.327/.419 with 11 home runs and 49 RBI in 105 games played. Those numbers weren't crazy, but as his 111 OPS+ would suggest, he was an above-average hitter.
Since the trade, though, Kelenic's stock has taken a monumental fall.
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Jarred Kelenic has struggled mightily since getting traded to the Braves
Kelenic was expected to play regularly for the Braves last season and hit in the lower third of the team's stacked lineup, but things just didn't pan out. He slashed .231/.286/.393 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI in 131 games. As a result of his struggles, the Braves wound up signing Jurickson Profar in free agency, all but replacing him in the lineup.
Ronald Acuña Jr.'s injury gave Kelenic another chance to prove himself early this season, and Profar's shocking suspension for PEDs only extended his leash. Unfortunately, Kelenic slashed .167/.231/.300 in 23 games and was at the center of unfortunately timed drama when he didn't hustle on a ball he thought was going to be a home run. The Braves ultimately got to the point where they had seen enough and sent him down to Triple-A despite their outfield being in such rough shape.
His bat has perked up a bit for Triple-A Gwinnett, especially lately, but he hasn't exactly torn the cover off the ball. With Acuña Jr. nearing his return and Profar set to come back later this season, it's not as if he'll have much of an opportunity to crack the team's outfield anytime soon. In fact, with his second year of arbitration coming up, it's not out of the question that the Braves might choose to non-tender him after this season if he doesn't show massive improvements.
The Mariners could use an outfielder with Victor Robles sidelined, but they should be thankful they sold on Kelenic when they did.