Rays add Seo, Navarro in swap with LA
06/27/2006 3:43 PM ET By Bill Chastain / MLB.com
MIAMI -- Mark Hendrickson, Toby Hall and cash have been traded by the Devil Rays to the Dodgers for right-hander Jae Seo, catcher Dioner Navarro and a player to be named later, the clubs announced Tuesday.
Navarro, 22, is a switch-hitting catcher who opened the season as the Dodgers' primary catcher before suffering a bruised right wrist May 4 against the Padres when he was hit with a foul tip. He batted .280 (21-for-75) with two doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs in 25 games for the Dodgers before landing on the disabled list May 5. He returned from the DL on June 16 and was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas where he has played 11 games for the 51's and has batted .175 (7-for-40) with two doubles and two RBIs.
Navarro, originally signed as a non-drafted free agent with the Yankees in 2000 at the age of 16, has appeared in 70 Major League games in his career including five with the Yankees in 2004, when he made his big-league debut and became the third-youngest player in the Major Leagues that year. He owns a .994 career fielding percentage, committing just three errors behind the plate.
Seo, 29, was 2-4 with a 5.78 ERA, 25 walks and 49 strikeouts in 67 innings over 19 games (10 starts) for the Dodgers this season, his first in Los Angeles. Signed by the Mets as a free agent in 1997, Seo made his Major League debut with New York in 2002 without issuing a walk to his first 103 batters faced, the longest such streak since World War II. In 90 career appearances (76 starts) over parts of the last five seasons, his 24-28 with a 4.13 ERA and a 2-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio (273-SO, 137-BB).
Seo is a native of Kwanju, South Korea. He is one of 12 Koreans to have played Major League Baseball.
Hall, 30, was batting .231 with 13 doubles and eight home runs in 64 games with the Rays this season. He owns a .262 batting average in 578 career games, all coming with Tampa Bay over the last seven years. He has been the Opening Day catcher for the Rays each of the last five seasons, most in club history. He ranks among the Rays all-time leaders in games (578, second place), doubles (112, second), RBIs (251, third), home runs (44, fourth) and hits (538, fourth). Hendrickson, 32, was 4-8 with a 3.81 ERA in 13 starts for the Rays this season. The former NBA player's 74 starts and 25 wins with Tampa Bay are the most by a left-hander in club history. He has led the Rays in wins each of the last two seasons while posting four of the team's last five complete games.
06/27/2006 3:43 PM ET By Bill Chastain / MLB.com
MIAMI -- Mark Hendrickson, Toby Hall and cash have been traded by the Devil Rays to the Dodgers for right-hander Jae Seo, catcher Dioner Navarro and a player to be named later, the clubs announced Tuesday.
Navarro, 22, is a switch-hitting catcher who opened the season as the Dodgers' primary catcher before suffering a bruised right wrist May 4 against the Padres when he was hit with a foul tip. He batted .280 (21-for-75) with two doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs in 25 games for the Dodgers before landing on the disabled list May 5. He returned from the DL on June 16 and was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas where he has played 11 games for the 51's and has batted .175 (7-for-40) with two doubles and two RBIs.
Navarro, originally signed as a non-drafted free agent with the Yankees in 2000 at the age of 16, has appeared in 70 Major League games in his career including five with the Yankees in 2004, when he made his big-league debut and became the third-youngest player in the Major Leagues that year. He owns a .994 career fielding percentage, committing just three errors behind the plate.
Seo, 29, was 2-4 with a 5.78 ERA, 25 walks and 49 strikeouts in 67 innings over 19 games (10 starts) for the Dodgers this season, his first in Los Angeles. Signed by the Mets as a free agent in 1997, Seo made his Major League debut with New York in 2002 without issuing a walk to his first 103 batters faced, the longest such streak since World War II. In 90 career appearances (76 starts) over parts of the last five seasons, his 24-28 with a 4.13 ERA and a 2-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio (273-SO, 137-BB).
Seo is a native of Kwanju, South Korea. He is one of 12 Koreans to have played Major League Baseball.
Hall, 30, was batting .231 with 13 doubles and eight home runs in 64 games with the Rays this season. He owns a .262 batting average in 578 career games, all coming with Tampa Bay over the last seven years. He has been the Opening Day catcher for the Rays each of the last five seasons, most in club history. He ranks among the Rays all-time leaders in games (578, second place), doubles (112, second), RBIs (251, third), home runs (44, fourth) and hits (538, fourth). Hendrickson, 32, was 4-8 with a 3.81 ERA in 13 starts for the Rays this season. The former NBA player's 74 starts and 25 wins with Tampa Bay are the most by a left-hander in club history. He has led the Rays in wins each of the last two seasons while posting four of the team's last five complete games.
