Yonder Alonso Traded to Mariners from Athletics for Boog Powell

The Oakland Athletics announced Sunday they traded first baseman Yonder Alonso to the Seattle Mariners for outfielder Boog Powell.

Alonso is enjoying a breakout campaign with a .266/.369/.527 triple-slash line and 22 home runs across 100 games in 2017. His previous career-high total in homers was nine.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale noted how Alonso's production has dipped, however, in the second half:

The 30-year-old University of Miami product is set to become a free agent for the first time during the offseason, which made it perfect timing for this season's power outburst. Add in the fact the A's have struggled to remain in playoff contention, and he became expendable.

In June, the Cuba native told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports he was "open" to an extension with Oakland, but his MLB journey also prepared him for the potential of another move.

"I've been around," Alonso said. "I've got six years under my belt. I've stunk. I've been hurt. I've almost gotten released. I've been traded. I've sat, gotten benched and started. I've done it all."

The biggest question following the trade is which version of Alonso to expect in his new home.

Last year, he finished with the second-worst WAR among qualified position players (-0.3), per Fangraphs. In addition, the prolific pop he's displayed this year was mostly absent as he tallied just seven home runs despite playing 156 games.

He's been a completely different player in 2017. His improvement at the plate allowed him to earn a selection to the All-Star Game.

The Mariners were willing to take a chance his performance this season hasn't been a mirage. The major uptick in his homer-to-fly-ball ratio (up 15.9 percent) creates some risk, so the fact Alonso is on a rental contract likely made it easier for the Mariners to pull the trigger.

Look for him to slot in the middle of Seattle's lineup alongside Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager and Nelson Cruz.