The New York Yankees have traded for outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, just hours before beginning a three-game series in Seattle, as first reported by Jack Curry of the YES Network.
Per Curry's initial tweet about the deal, the Yankees send pitchers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar to Seattle.
After Seattle confirmed the trade, Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln thanked Ichiro for his stellar stint in Seattle:
"On behalf of our ownership group and everyone in the Seattle Mariners organization, I thank Ichiro for the great career he's had here in Seattle."
Last week, Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik told FoxSports.com that he plans on keeping Ichiro through the trade deadline.
In his 12th season, Ichiro has been a fan favorite in Seattle for over a decade, getting voted into 10 All-Star games while going 10 straight seasons with at least 200 hits.
Approximately 10 minutes after Curry's tweet broke the deal, Seattle Times reporter Geoff Baker tweeted that the Mariners were "close to dealing Ichiro." Three minutes after Baker's initial tweet, Baker had more definitive information.
Not surprisingly, given the disparity in salaries between Ichiro and the pair of relative unknowns, the Mariners are sending a substantial amount cash to New York, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.