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Seattle Mariners

Mariners acquire prospect Shed Long in three-way trade

Cincinnati Reds' Shed Long bats during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, in Surprise, Ariz. The Mariners acquired Long through a trade with the New York Yankees that also involved the Reds acquiring veteran pitcher Sonny Gray from New York. (Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press)
Seattle Times

The Seattle Mariners have acquired infield prospect Shed Long from the Yankees in exchange for outfield prospect Josh Stowers. The trade was part of a three-team deal between the Mariners, Reds and Yankees. Long, 23, a second basenman who was drafted and developed by Cincinnati, started Monday as a member of the Reds organization. But he was sent to the Yankees along with a competitive-balance round “A” selection in exchange for veteran right-hander Sonny Gray, who signed a contract extension with the Reds as part of the deal. The Yankees then flipped Long to the Mariners for Stowers.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Long, the Mariners designated infielder/pitcher Kaleb Cowart for assignment. Seattle had claimed Cowart off waivers from the Angels. The hope is that he will clear waivers and the Mariners can outright him to the minor-league system so he can continue to work as a two-way player.

The Mariners, who have been interested in acquiring Long from the Reds for the past few months in a variety of scenarios, finally were able to access him in a deal with the Yankees by giving up Stowers. It’s basically an exchange of prospects between the two teams. But Long is considered slightly more advanced than Stowers for the near future.