Oakland, CA – The Arizona Diamondbacks appear to be wasting no time in retooling their roster.
On Saturday, the Diamondbacks shipped off outfielder Chris Young, along with cash considerations, to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for shortstop Cliff Pennington and minor league infielder Yordy Cabrera.
In a separate deal, Arizona then sent Cabrera to the Miami Marlins in exchange for relief pitcher Heath Bell and cash considerations.
Coming off disappointing seasons, a change of scenery may be in the best interest for both Young and Bell.
An All-Star in 2010, Young has seen his batting average plummet over the past two seasons. In 2012, Young played in just 101 games due to a shoulder injury and batted just .231 while hitting 14 home runs and collecting 41 RBI. Over his seven-year career with Arizona, the 29-year-old hit 132 homers and drove in 408 runs, ranking third in both categories among the all-time club leaders.
Bell, a three-time All-Star, recorded three consecutive 40-save seasons before signing with the Marlins this past offseason, but struggled in his first campaign with the team. The 35-year-old appeared in 73 games in 2012, but registered just 19 saves with a 5.09 ERA.
"Adding another veteran arm to our bullpen should serve to shorten the game for us as we now have several relievers with closing experience to get the ball to J.J. Putz," said Diamondbacks Executive Vice President and general manager Kevin Towers. "Cliff is a blue-collar type player with postseason experience who can play both middle infield positions. He provides us with depth up the middle and versatility at the plate as a switch-hitter.
Pennington will join the Diamondbacks after helping the Athletics win the 2012 AL West division crown. He played in 125 games, including 93 at shortstop, while batting .215 with six homers and 28 RBI.
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