Mariners add Millville native Buddy Kennedy in cash deal

The Seattle Mariners added Millville native Buddy Kennedy on Sunday in a cash deal with the San Francisco Giants, putting the 27-year-old infielder onto their 40-man roster without having to clear a spot. For Cumberland County, the move keeps another Millville High product tied to a major-league roster and extends a local baseball line that already includes Mike Trout and Don Money.

Kennedy was designated for assignment by San Francisco earlier the same day, a move that cleared room for outfielder Heliot Ramos to return from the injured list. Seattle already had an open spot on its 40-man roster, so Justin Hollander, the Mariners’ executive vice president and general manager of baseball operations, did not need to make a corresponding transaction.

The new opportunity comes after a brief and quiet stint in the majors this season. Kennedy appeared in seven games for the Giants and went 0-for-7 with one walk and three strikeouts. At Triple-A Sacramento, though, he showed far more production, hitting .321 with eight home runs, 33 RBIs and a .967 OPS in 48 games.

Kennedy, born Oct. 5, 1998, in Millville, first drew national attention out of Millville Senior High School, where the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him in the fifth round of the 2017 MLB Draft, 142nd overall. MLB.com lists his full name as Clifton Lewis Kennedy and notes that he made his major-league debut on June 17, 2022.

His background carries a familiar South Jersey name as well. Kennedy is the grandson of former major-league infielder Don Money, adding another layer to a family already connected to professional baseball. He and Trout, both Millville High School alumni, became friends after Trout met Kennedy before the 2017 draft, and Kennedy has described growing up in Millville while playing at Michael Trout Field.

For Millville and the wider county, the deal is less about a headline trade than about whether one of its own can turn a roster opening into a longer stay. Seattle did not have to shuffle its own 40-man group to bring Kennedy in, which gives him a cleaner path to stick, at least for now, if the Mariners decide his Triple-A bat can translate into another shot in the majors.