Martin, Mariners prove ideal pairing in first year

SEATTLE — Of the multitude of moves made last year by Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto, perhaps the best was the acquisition of Leonys Martin from the Rangers to solidify Seattle’s center-field situation.

Martin had lost favor — and his starting role — in Texas, but Mariners manager Scott Servais knew the Cuban standout from his days as the Rangers’ farm director and Dipoto felt he’d be the perfect fit for a club looking to get more athletic and defensive-minded in the outfield.

The Mariners gave up reliever Tom Wilhelmsen and young outfielders James Jones and Patrick Kivlehan to acquire Martin, but wound up getting both Wilhelmsen and Kivlehan back from Texas, while Jones was converted to a pitcher by the Rangers before hurting his arm midway through the season.

Meanwhile, Martin not only played an outstanding center field, but he bounced back offensively with a .247/.306/.378 line, a career-best 15 home runs, 72 runs and a team-leading 24 stolen bases in 143 games.

“We saw Leonys Martin kicking into a different gear that didn’t really exist before,” Dipoto said. “His defensive play all year long was spectacular. The energy he brought to the team was invaluable. That was a real positive for me [this year].”

The Mariners have Martin under club control for two more seasons. The 28-year-old earned $4.15 million last year and is projected to make about $6.3 million in his second season of arbitration eligibility, per MLBTradeRumors.com. For their money, the Mariners are getting both a solid center fielder as well as an emotional leader. Servais points to a June 2 game in San Diego — when Seattle rallied from a 12-2 deficit for a 16-13 win — as Martin’s emergence as a vocal leader.

“It all kind of started in …

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