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The Brewers and Mariners have swung a trade that will send infielder Luis Sardinas to Seattle in exchange for outfielder Ramon Flores, a source has confirmed to MLB Daily Dish. Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com first reported the players involved.
Though the deal is minor, it serves a purpose for both clubs in giving them a better 40-man roster fit than they previously had. A few of these types of deals will likely occur on Friday, as teams clear 40-man roster spots before the deadline to protect players who are eligible for the Rule V draft in December.
Sardinas, 22, heads to his third organization in less than a year after being dealt from the Rangers to the Brewers in exchange for Yovani Gallardo in January. He hit just .196/.240/.216 in 36 games with Milwaukee last season, and is a lifetime .231/.274/.269 hitter in 79 games in the majors over two seasons.
Sardinas has experience at second base, shortstop and third base, so he will provide some insurance for Seattle behind Kyle Seager, Ketel Marte and Robinson Cano. Milwaukee likely considered him expendable following the acquisition of Jonathan Villar, who was acquired from the Astros on Thursday.
Flores, 23, has been traded twice in the last four months, as he was one of two prospects sent from the Yankees to the Mariners in exchange for Dustin Ackley. He is 7-for-32 in the majors, but hit .308 with nine homers in 87 games split between the Yankees' and Mariners' Triple-A affiliates in 2015.
The Mariners and Brewers have been the most active traders so far this winter, with today's trade being the fourth for a Mariners team that has acquired Nathan Karns, Joaquin Benoit and Leonys Martin and the third for a Brewers organization that has shipped Francisco Rodriguez to Detroit and acquired Villar.