Seattle Mariners: An “out of the box” blockbuster trade idea.
Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by apardavila, via flickr)
With trade rumors abound, PNWS presents a not so crazy out of the box idea that could net the Seattle Mariners a superstar.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. With the rumors all swirling and the possibilities always churning! It’s the most wonderful time of the year. I’m talking about the trade deadline. When there are always so many smokescreens, misdirections, possibilities, and rumors. When every Seattle Mariners fan can easily come up with a trade idea that makes sense to them.
Some of them are completely ludacris like Aaron Judge to the Mariners for Marco Gonzalez and Dee Gordon. Others are better grounded in reality. In the spirit of optimism here is an outside-the-box idea. A mega-trade between the Seattle Mariners and Cubs.
The setup
There are a few items to keep when viewing this trade. The Cubs are in a win-now mode as their title-contending window is still open but slowly closing. Kris Bryant is a bonafide superstar, be he isn’t the happiest of Cubbie campers after the last offseason. For their part, the Cubs have even been open to trading Bryant rather than him leave the windy city for no return. This is the backdrop of how a trade of this magnitude can come about.
The Mariners don’t have many highly tradable assets left to move. Marco Gonzales, Kyle Seager, Yusei Kikuchi, and possibly Mitch Haniger. M’s General Manager Jerry DiPoto (heck all Seattle Mariners fans) would also like to move Dee Gordon’s contract.
The trade
The Mariners send Marco Gonzales, Kyle Seager, Mitch Haniger, Dee Gordon, and newly acquired outfielder Taylor Trammell to the Cubs for Kris Bryant, Adbert Alzolay, and Pedro Martinez. No, not that Pedro Martinez. This one is from Venezuela, not the Dominican, and calls the Yankees his daddy.
On the surface, this may be a facepalm to the extreme, but pull your hand down and start to look at this a little deeper.
Cubs 3B Kris Bryant losing his service time manipulation grievance raises questions about "procedural fairness" in player-team contract issues and whether the MLPBA will fight for service time changes in next CBA. Details in a new @SInow and @si_mlb story: https://t.co/FUa0Bu685h pic.twitter.com/nbpjlaC1vS
— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) February 4, 2020