Mariners scouting Marlon Byrd, who has Seattle in his no-trade clause
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Marlon Byrd leads his team in homers (18) and slugging (.481), so it's natural his bat might be linked to teams looking for help at the deadline.
One of such teams? The Seattle Mariners.
The #mariners, on the lookout for a RH bat, recently scouted the #phillies Marlon Byrd.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 11, 2014
But Byrd, who signed on for two years with the Phillies, isn't looking for a new home.
“I don’t want to get traded,” he said to CSNPhilly on Thursday. “I signed a two-year deal here for a reason. The thought process was to retire as a Phillie. At the same time, this is a business and I know how it works. If trading me makes the organization better, I have to go with it.”
Though several of his Philadelphia teammates have extensive no-trade clauses (Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley have full no-trade rights), Byrd can block deals to four teams: Seattle, Kansas City, Toronto and Tampa Bay.
Byrd said he'd consider a trade to a team on his list if the Phillies asked him to. Toronto and Tampa Bay are on the list because the teams play on artificial turf.
On the other hand, Seattle and Kansas City might not be out of luck.
"Those really are things that were just put on at the time being," Byrd said.