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Showing posts from July, 2024

Mariners making moves

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The Seattle Mariners, who have batted a putrid .219 on the season, have begun to make some moves. Yesterday, the Mariners acquired outfielder Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor leaguers Aiden Smith (the team's number 12 prospect according to Baseball America ), an outfielder and right-handed pitcher Brody Hopkins (number 29). "We need to start solving our problems," Mariner general manager Justin Hollander told the Seattle Times last week and that was even before a horrendous 1-5 homestand against division rivals Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels. The Mariners were swept by the Angels of Anaheim (minus Mike Trout), who are mired in fourth place. The M's who led the Astros by ten games in June, saw their lead disappear quicker than Joe Biden's presidential campaign and now trail Houston by a game in the standings. Arozarena, a 29-year-old Cuban native, burst on the scene in 2020, when after playing 23 games in the regular season, he ...

Campbell and Kraken make history

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 Seattle likes being a city of firsts, and the cities National Hockey League affiliate reflects that. Yesterday to no great surprise, the Kraken announced yesterday the addition of Jessica Campbell to the team's coaching staff.  Campbell, an assistant coach with the AHL Coachella Valley Firebirds last season, becomes the first female fulltime assistant with an NHL franchise. Joining Campbell behind the bench will be Bob Woods, a veteran of 11 years as an assistant with the Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals, who also owns a Calder Cup championship as head coach of the Hershey Bears. Campbell and Woods replace Paul McFarland, who was let go, and Jay Leach, who returned to the Boston Bruins' organization as an assistant coach. They join holdovers Dave Lowry and Steve Briere as members of the Kraken brain trust. There's been speculation that Campbell would join the Kraken after serving as new head coach Dan Bylsma's deputy at the AHL-affiliated Coach...

Montour, Stephenson join Kraken

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Happy NHL free-agent signing day to those who celebrate. The Seattle Kraken celebrated July 1 with two noteworthy free-agent acquisitions. Joining the Kraken are defenseman Brandon Montour, from the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and forward Chandler Stephenson, a front-line center with the Vegas Golden Knights when they won hockey's holy grail in 2023. At his press conference announcing the signings, Kraken general manager Ron Francis joked that he might need to borrow money from the assembled media after doling out a seven-year $50 million deal to Montour (7.1 a season) while Stephenson will collect 6.25 a year from the Kraken. "Players want to come to Seattle," said Francis. "They want to play for this organization, and they want to play for our great fans." With the addition of Montour and Stephenson, the Kraken now have at least one player who competed on the Stanley Cup champion in each of the last nine years. Montour and Stephenson are both 30-year...