Ichiro Suzuki Trade: Yankees Acquire Mariners Icon

Nothing is ever as shocking as it is at first, though, and as more time has passed, more attention has been paid to what Ichiro might be able to do for the Yankees down the stretch. That’s an important matter, right? For the Mariners, trading Ichiro wasn’t about the prospects; it was about making the coming offseason less complicated. But for the Yankees, trading for Ichiro was about trading for help. The Yankees aren’t in the business of feel-good stories. The Yankees are in the business of trying to win world championships, and they must figure that Ichiro could be of service.

On the matter of what Ichiro has left, then, journalists have turned to relevant connections. Here’s a Buster Olney tweet that caused something of a stir:

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Hot off the wires, here’s Pinstripe Alley’s Steven Goldman talking to Amy K. Nelson about Monday’s blockbuster trade:

I can’t argue with a single thing that Steve says here. Ichiro was a great player when he batted .350, a really good player when he batted .300, and just sort of around when he’s batting .270, as he has since the beginning of 2011.

When it comes to the analysis of the Ichiro trade, the Internet has you covered. They released a collective statement today on the move.

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In response to the burning question of the day ...

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Mitchell was ranked the Yankees’ #16 prospect before the 2012 season in the Baseball America Prospect Handbook, and they wrote ...

Mitchell prefers to pound the bottom half of the zone with an 89-91 fastball and a solid slider more notable for getting grounders than swings-and-misses.BA projects him as a middle reliever, though he has been a starter in the minors. His career stats:

Here are some ways you can catch Ichiro’s Yankees taking on the Mariners tonight. First pitch is at 10:10 p.m. Eastern, 7:10 p.m. Pacific.

Radio:

Yankees broadcast: WCBS 880, WADO 1280

Mariners broadcast: 710 ESPN

But according to national baseball writer Larry Stone, who has followed the Mariners and Ichiro closely for years, this deal has been in the works for some time:

Ichiro’s agent Tony Attanasio told me that Ichiro let Mariners know “months ago” that he was willing to be traded.Stone further tweeted that Ichiro was doing it for the good of the team and its future: