Mariners Trade For Austin Shenton, DFA JT Chargois

As announced by both teams, the Mariners have acquired infielder Austin Shenton in a trade with the Rays. Seattle will send cash considerations to Tampa Bay in return. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mariners designated right-handed pitcher JT Chargois for assignment.

Shenton began his professional career with the Mariners, who selected him in the 2019 draft. Though he was never a highly-ranked prospect, the flexible defender quickly worked his way up the minor league ladder, hitting well at every step along the way. In 120 games across four levels in Seattle’s system, he hit .299 with 46 doubles and 19 home runs, good for a .940 OPS. While he spent most of his time at third base, he also took reps at first base, second base, and both outfield corners.

Ahead of the 2021 trade deadline, the M’s dealt Shenton to the Rays in exchange for right-handed reliever Diego Castillo. Funnily enough, the other player Seattle sent to Tampa Bay in that trade was none other than Chargois. (After brief stints with the Rays and Marlins, Chargois made his way back to the Mariners at the trade deadline this past summer. But more on him in a moment.) Injuries cut into Shenton’s playing time in the Rays system in 2021 and ’22, but after his strong 2023 season (1.006 OPS in 134 games between Double and Triple-A) the team added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Shenton wasn’t as dominant with the stick in 2024, but he provided above-average offense for both Triple-A Durham and the Rays over a handful of games with the big league club. In his first MLB season, he slashed .214/.340/.405 across 50 plate appearances, good for a 120 wRC+. Those are decent numbers for a lefty bench bat, but nonetheless, Shenton was the casualty when the Rays needed to free up an extra roster spot to protect a pair of promising pitchers from this year’s Rule 5 reaping. He was DFA’d yesterday evening.

Despite his solid offensive production, it’s not hard to guess what the Rays might have been thinking. While his bat has real promise, Shenton will be 27 years old next season, and he comes with his fair share of flaws. Although he has played several positions, he might not be capable of regular MLB playing time anywhere other than first base. As for his offense, he has enticing power and a good eye, but strikeouts could be his downfall against the highest level of competition. He has also had dreadful splits against same-handed pitching in two of the last three seasons. On top of all that, he has often had trouble staying on the field; he spent time on the IL in each of his first four professional campaigns.

Regardless, the Mariners must have liked what they saw (and what they remembered) of Shenton, and there’s little risk for Seattle in taking him on. He still has two minor league option years remaining, so he won’t get any playing with the big league club unless he earns it. Moreover, it’s not as if Chargois was going to be a key player in the M’s bullpen next season. Rather, he seemed to be a likely non-tender candidate ahead of this week’s deadline.

Chargois, 34 in December, is a journeyman low-leverage reliever who has bounced between the Twins, Dodgers, Mariners, Rays, and Marlins throughout his big league tenure. He also spent a season with the Rakuten Eagles in Japan. The veteran righty has never been a flashy name, but his career 3.35 ERA and 3.84 SIERA over 23 1 1/3 innings are impressive numbers. Durability and injury concerns (he has never pitched more than 53 2/3 innings in a season) could prevent him from signing anything more than a minor league contract this winter, but his sparkling 2.23 ERA and solid 4.18 SIERA from this past season should help him find a new place to pitch in 2025.