Yankees Acquire Veteran Ichiro Suzuki from Mariners

Veteran outfielder Ichiro Suzuki made his debut as a New York Yankee before his former home crowd in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson)

Ichiro Suzuki was already a legend in Japan before coming to the United States. When he signed with the Seattle Mariners, no one could be completely sure how he would do transitioning to Major League Baseball. Well as they say, the rest is history. Ichiro became MLB's first Japanese-born position player, was named the American League's MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2001, has the all-time single-season hit record, won two AL batting titles, won ten Gold Gloves, and had ten consecutive seasons with 200 hits. It is safe to say that he will be a Hall of Famer in Cooperstown someday.

But now at this stage in his career, Ichiro is nearing retirement. He is 38 years old and in the last year of his contract. Meanwhile, the Mariners are in full fledged rebuilding mode. As much as Ichiro loves playing for the Mariners, both he and the team knew it would be in both of their best interests if he was traded. When exploring options for a trade, the Mariners knew they wanted to reward Ichiro by trading him to a contender.

The New York Yankees have been playing great baseball, but about a week ago they found out that their speedy left fielder Brett Gardner would need season-ending elbow surgery. They immediately started looking for a low-cost, temporary replacement. Ichiro was an excellent option for them. With his age and being in the last year of his contract, the Mariners weren't looking for a ton in return.

On Friday afternoon, the Mariners agreed to trade Ichiro to the Yankees for reliever D.J. Mitchell and minor league pitcher Danny Farquhar. The Mariners got a couple young pitchers in return, which is what they were looking for. The Yankees got the low-risk, high-reward veteran they were looking for. They gave up little to acquire Ichiro. In return, they got a good hitter, who still runs and fields his position well. By joining the Yankees, Ichiro has a chance to do something he has never done before, win a World Series.

I really think the Yankees did well here. Even though Ichiro has declined over the past several seasons, one has to believe his numbers will improve by playing in the Yankees' lineup and home games at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have done well with the seasoned veterans they have acquired the past several seasons. Ichiro might be the best one yet. If he can even regain a fraction of his former top form, the Yankees could be reaping the benefits in the postseason.