Ty France, Seattle Mariners.
Over the last 23 years, the Seattle Mariners have been hard-luck losers at the trade deadline. It’s been one bad deal after another. Lately, things are getting better. As a matter of fact, the franchise had a watershed trade last August.
The Mariners, before General Managers Jerry Dipoto’s arrival in the Emerald City, were terrible at making trades. Very rarely breaking even. It wasn’t always the case. Back in the early ’90s, several deals did work out for the M’s. For example, acquiring Jay Buhner from the Yankees and Randy Johnson from the Expos. Those trades worked out tremendously. But since then? Meh.
The downward spiral started on July 31st, 1997, when the Mariners traded away Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe to Boston for Heathcliff Slocumb. Varitek and Lowe went on to have very successful careers with the Red Sox. Then there was February 10th, 2000. On that inauspicious day, the Mariners traded away Ken Griffey Jr. for four players, including Mike Cameron. How amount February 8th, 2008? It was another mess when Seattle sent Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Chris Tillman, Kam Mickolito, and Tony Butler to the Orioles for Erik Bedard.
All of that has started to change. Dipoto made headlines by trading away Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz for Jarred Kelenic, Gerson Bautista, Justin Dunn, and Jay Bruce. While the jury is still out on that trade, the Paxton trade to the Yankees for Justus Sheffield, Erik Swanson, and Dom Thompson-Williams has proven to be a win. Especially since the M’s reacquired the Big Maple. However, the one that might erase all of the Mariners’ bad trade memories in one shot is the one from August 30th, 2020, with the San Diego Padres.
There were four gems brought over in the San Diego Padres trade that Jerry Dipoto pulled off. Luis Torrens, Taylor Trammell, Ty France, and Andres Munoz were acquired for Austin Nola, Austin Adams, and Dan Altavilla. Nearly halfway through spring training, and there’s a chance that all four make the 26-man roster for opening day.
At the time, it looked like a trade that Dipoto had won. While Austin Nola’s Mariner cult-like status would sting a little and the potential of Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla in the bullpen would also hurt, now it looks like the Mariners really pulled off a coup-de-tat. This deal could end up being the kind of trade that sets the Mariners up for success for many years.
With Tom Murphy solidly in as the starting catcher, Torrens will still get a good look behind the plate. Offensively, he’s never been a big hitter, though his 2019 AA season was the exception. Torrens hit .300 with 15 home runs in 350 at-bats. His confident and disciplined approach around the plate will translate into helping the back-end of the M’s line-up turnover.
Torrens also comes in as an average defender. However, so far in early spring, Seattle Mariners pitchers commented on how comfortable they feel with him behind the plate. During his month with the club last year, Torrens quickly established his competency behind the plate.
While Torrens might be a placeholder for Cal Raleigh, there’s a good chance that he’s on the opening day roster.
In 2019, Ty France came one hit away from being the first minor league player to hit over .400 since Erubial Durazo hit .404 in 1999. France hit .399 with 27 home runs and a 1.247 OPS. How has that translated to the Major League level?
France hit .305 with a combined .836 OPS and is off to a torrid start in spring. Batting .615 with a 2.128 OPS, he has three home runs in 15 plate appearances. He slots in as a fantastic #2 hitter in the line-up and, with his on-base ability, should help Kyle Lewis, Kyle Seager, and Mitch Haniger.
While Trammell and Munoz could give France a run-for-the-money as to which one of the players involved in this trade is the ultimate catch. His spring, combined with his development as a hitter, should give hope that he will be a massive contributor to the starting line-up. If his bat continues to produce at a high rate, then the ripple effects will greatly impact those around him in the line-up.
Before the 2019 season, Taylor Trammel was a top 20 prospect. His speed and gap power combination made him an intriguing bat in any line-up. Also, Trammel is considered a plus defender. MLB had him as the #11 prospect. Then 2019 happened. He tweaked his swing to generate more lift. It didn’t translate into more power. Instead, he struck out at a higher frequency and finished the season in Double-A with a .234 batting average and a sub .700 OPS. He fell in the prospect rankings but remained in the top 100.
The Mariners were already loaded with quality outfield prospects before they added Trammell. But teams can never have too much value in the pipeline. This spring, he’s off to a fantastic start, batting .364 in 12 at-bats with a 1.326 OPS. While the sample size is still small, it’s encouraging.
A recent MLB.com article penciled Trammell in as the starting left fielder on opening day. While his performance on the field is a compelling reason to pencil him in. It’s his attitude and demeanor that could solidify the decision. He has the potential to be a fantastic lead-off batter with his speed and on-base ability, but his infectious enthusiasm is what should sell Servais and Dipoto on pulling the trigger.
As high as this article is on Trammel and France, the upside of Andres Munoz is comparable to Edwin Diaz. This kid just turned 22. According to the advanced analytics site Baseball Savant, Andres Munoz’ average fastball speed was 100 MPH in 2019. You might need to re-read that; his average fastball speed was 100 MPH. He’s hit 104 MPH on the radar gun before. While it’s a four-seam fastball without much movement, it makes his wipeout, high spin rate, slider look unhittable.
In 2019, his only Major League effort, he produced a strong strikeout to innings pitched ratio. Munoz had 88 strikeouts in 58.2 innings but was wild at times. Munoz, with a ball in his hand, was like Thor with his hammer. This pitcher was born to be a closer, statistically and analytically.
There’s more to being a quality closer than good stuff. It’s also the mentality. M’s fans can’t wait to see if he has that mental makeup to be the Seattle Mariners closer of the future. No one is really in his way. Maybe Rafael Montero, but he’s 30 and has a short leash in 2021 as Servais plans to use several different arms to close out games.
In the end, this trade appears to be headed towards a massive win for Seattle. France and Trammell both project to be All-Stars at some point in their careers. Munoz is an absolute stud in the bullpen. Torrens is a serviceable backstop who handles pitchers well. The best part is that the Mariners got all of this future awesomeness for spare parts. There’s plenty to like about the 2021 Seattle Mariners, and potentially all of these players will have a say in how many wins they achieve. This might be the trade that finally gets Mariners fans over the horrible ghosts of trades past.
Joe Swenson is a lifelong Seattle Sports fan, writer, director, producer www.brokenartsentertainment.com and co-host of the popular In The Clutch podcast.