Mariners send top prospect O’Neill to Cards for pitcher

SEATTLE » The Seattle Mariners paid a hefty price to add a pitcher who may not be ready to help them in the playoff hunt this season.

The Mariners acquired young left-hander Marco Gonzales from the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday in exchange for top outfield prospect Tyler O’Neill, the second move to add pitching depth in as many days by Seattle. The Mariners acquired veteran reliever David Phelps from Miami on Thursday.

While Seattle will have Gonzales under club control for a number of seasons, he may not be the impact arm to help the Mariners in this year’s chase for a wild card spot in the American League. Gonzales has pitched once in the majors this season as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2016 season.

Seattle is expected to have Gonzales begin at Triple-A Tacoma.

“Marco is a quality athlete with high character and a strong pitching pedigree who we feel fits our roster well in both the near and long term,” Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. “We find his current performance, preparedness and proximity to the major leagues to be very appealing traits in a pitcher, particularly a young lefty who is now under club control through the 2023 season.”

Gonzales, 25, has deep ties to the Pacific Northwest as a collegiate star at Gonzaga and makes his offseason home in Seattle.

Martinez ready to play at home as a D’back

PHOENIX » J.D. Martinez got a little lost trying to find Chase Field on Friday. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ new outfielder hasn’t spent much time in the Phoenix area, and he found himself driving while looking at his phone for directions.

Once he arrived, parking was a minor issue. He also had to adjust to a new home clubhouse, get his bangedup left hand checked out and meet with his new manager.

Martinez then sat down before a crowded room and fielded questions about how he fits in with his new team, how he changed his hitting approach from his days in Houston to the past 2 1/2 seasons in Detroit and how he’ll prepare for National League pitchers he’s never faced.

Martinez — who arrived in a trade with the Tigers earlier this week — was available to play on Friday in the Diamondbacks’ series opener against the Nationals. He was hit on the hand with a pitch in the fourth inning on Wednesday in Cincinnati, his first game with Arizona.

“Definitely a scary situation. I was already nervous as it was for the day,” Martinez said.

X-rays were negative for a broken bone, and Martinez was hoping to play right away, although he wasn’t in Friday’s lineup.