Seattle trades for Washington's Vidro

SEATTLE, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The Seattle Mariners traded for Washington second baseman Jose Vidro, sending the Nationals outfielder Chris Snelling and pitcher Emiliano Fruto.

Vidro, 32, has spent all of his previous 10 major league seasons with the Washington franchise, breaking in when it was in Montreal. He is a career .301 hitter with 115 home runs and 550 runs batted in. In 125 games last season, Vidro hit .289 with seven home runs and 47 RBI.

"We feel we can add (Vidro) to our batting order anywhere from the second to the sixth spot and he will add production to our lineup," Seattle General Manager Bill Bavasi said. "With the addition of Vidro and Jose Guillen to our returning players, I think we are a much stronger offensive team."

MLB.com reported that Seattle will assume $12 million of the $16 million remaining on Vidro's contract, which runs for two more years.

Snelling, 25, has 59 games of big league experience, playing in 36 contests in 2006. He hit three home runs with eight RBI in 96 at-bats a season ago.

Fruto, 22, appeared in 23 games in 2006, building a 2-2 record with a 5.50 earned run average.