Originally published Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Mariners part ways with Jose Vidro, recall Wladimir Balentien

The long awaited parting of ways between the Mariners and designated hitter Jose Vidro finally occurred on Tuesday. Vidro was designated for assignment, while the team recalled outfielder Wladimir Balentien from Class AAA Tacoma to take his roster spot.

By Geoff Baker

Seattle Times staff reporter

The long awaited parting of ways between the Mariners and designated hitter Jose Vidro finally occurred on Tuesday.

Vidro was designated for assignment, while the team recalled outfielder Wladimir Balentien from Class AAA Tacoma to take his roster spot. One of the worst-producing regulars in all of major league baseball, Vidro, with just a .612 on-base-plus slugging percentage, had been hitting out of the clean-up spot in recent weeks because the last-place Mariners were hard-pressed to find anybody else.

But it was only a matter of time before Vidro was let go. The team held on to him through the July 31 trade deadline, hoping to find some interest in him from other clubs.

"We appreciate all of Jose's hard work and professionalism," interim general manager Lee Pelekoudas said. "We wanted to have every opportunity to try and trade him. Even though that opportunity may still exist, now that we've passed the July 31 deadline it was important for us to continue our transition into a club that is looking toward the 2009 season, even as we try to win as many games as possible this season."

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