SEATTLE (Reuters) - The Seattle Mariners have re-acquired first baseman Russell Branyan from the Cleveland Indians in a bid to boost their hitting power, the team said on Sunday.
"It's no secret that we've been pursuing a bat for some time," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik told Major League Baseball's official website (www.mlb.com).
Branyan, 34, hit a career-high 31 home runs and drove in 76 runs last season with the Mariners. But Seattle elected not to re-sign him and the slugger agreed to a one-year deal with Cleveland.
He is hitting .263 with 10 home runs with the Indians, who will receive two minor leaguers as part of the trade.
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina. Editing by Stephen Wood)
