Seattle gets Powell, others from Tampa Bay

Boog Powell is on the move again.

The 22-year-old outfielder drafted by the Athletics was traded in a six-player swap from the Rays to the Mariners on Thursday. Powell, left-hander C.J. Riefenhauser and big league right-hander Nathan Karns will head to Seattle, while Major Leaguers Logan Morrison (first baseman), Brad Miller (infielder/outfielder) and Danny Farquhar (relief pitcher) go to Tampa Bay.

"As I said when I was hired, we need to get more flexible, more athletic and build pitching depth," Mariners executive vice president and general manager of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. "This trade allows us to do all three. Powell brings speed, defense on on-base percentage to the table and could be ready to help us as soon as 2016, while Karns and Riefenhauser give us young, but experienced, pitching options."

Powell, a left-handed hitting center fielder, batted .295 with a .385 on-base percentage, 16 doubles, nine triples and 18 stolen bases over 117 games across Triple-A Durham and Double-A Montgomery this year. Previously ranked No. 13 among the Rays' Top 30 prospects, he quickly slotted in at No. 7 with the Mariners and may make the Majors out of Spring Training.

"We feel like we bring in -- whether in April or in July or sometime later in the season -- a guy who can impact 2016 and have an effect on the ballclub for years to come," Dipoto told 710 ESPN Seattle. "He's hit everywhere he's ever gone. He's got on [base] every where he's gone, and he's a plus baserunner. We're really looking forward to what he can do."

Powell -- no relation to the former four-time Orioles All-Star and 1970 American League MVP with the same name -- is "without a doubt" representative of the kind of player the Mariners would like to stock their roster with, Dipoto added. 

"Boog is a catalyst -- a top-of-the-order [type]. He's got outstanding plate discipline, he can steal bases, and he can play defense," the executive told the Seattle station. "When we set out to create a model, a style of play that's more athletic, more speed, better defense in the outfield. ... Boog Powell fits that mold. He's a player we're excited to get. He's versatile -- he can play any of the outfield spots. He's athletic enough to be a center fielder, and right now, that's where he fits with us."

A 20th round pick out of California's Orange Coast College in 2012, Powell was productive over two seasons of short-season ball, and he bounced back from a 50-game suspension in the middle of a breakout campaign in 2014. He finished that year with a .344/.451/.435 line and 16 steals over 83 games across Class A Advanced and Class A ball and was named an A's Organization All-Star. He reported to the Arizona Fall League after the regular season, where he batted .300 for Mesa.

On Jan. 10, the A's dealt Powell, Daniel Robertson, John Jaso and cash to the Rays for Yuniel Escobar and Ben Zobrist.

Riefenhauser, a reliever currently pitching in Venezuela, went 4-2 with a 2.86 ERA over 29 Triple-A appearances this year and also appeared in one Class A Advanced game and 17 in the Majors, where he went 1-0 with a 5.52 ERA.

Karns was 7-5 with a 3.67 ERA over 27 games -- including 26 starts -- for the Rays in his first full Major League season.

Morrison, a veteran of six seasons in the Majors, batted .225 with 17 homers and a .302 on-base percentage this year.

Miller, playing in his third year with the Mariners, slashed .258/.329/.402 with 22 doubles, 11 homers and 13 stolen bases while seeing time at shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield positions.

Farquhar was 1-8 with a 5.12 ERA over 43 appearances in his fourth big league season.