Diamondbacks Trade Veteran Infielder Pennington

Clearing room for younger talent, the Arizona Diamondbacks have traded veteran infielder Cliff Pennington to the Toronto Blue Jays for infielder Dawel Lugo.

Through three seasons with the Diamondbacks, the 31-year-old Pennington hit .244 with 4 home runs, and 38 RBI’s. He saw more starting time in 2013, but was relegated to more of a backup role in the following years as younger players like Chris Owings and Nick Ahmed began to fully develop.

Aug 6, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Cliff Pennington (4) singles against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

Initially acquired from the Oakland Athletics, Pennington provided above average defense at the shortstop position and helped fill whatever role the team needed him in. It wasn’t a weird situation to see him playing third base, second base, or even some spot starts in the outfield.

Shortstop Dawel Lugo was the Blue Jays No. 12 rated prospect according to MLB.com. He was playing in both the Blue Jays Single-A farm teams and hitting .257 with 4 HR and 44 RBI’s through 98 games. But in his last 31 games with the Lansing Lugnuts, Lugo is hitting .336 with 2 HR and 22 RBI’s.

The Pennington trade also clears the way for current youngsters in the Diamondbacks Farm System. Diamondbacks No. 7 rated prospect by MLB.com, Brandon Drury is crushing it down in Triple-A Reno. In 42 games with the Aces, Drury is hitting .325 with 1 HR and 15 RBI’s. Drury will most likely be a September call-up, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get playing time even before then.