Seattle Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto.
Who remembers the 2020 Covid baseball season? It was the year of a condensed 60-game schedule and only cardboard cutouts in the stands instead of dance.
In the Emerald City, the Seattle Mariners almost broke their long playoff drought. They were in contention all season, but when the dust settled, Seattle finished two games out of the final American League wildcard spot.
It was a season that saw outfielder Kyle Lewis emerge as the 2020 Rookie of the Year . With two hot prospects, Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez, not far behind him in the system, hopes were high for a dominating outfield trio.
Finally, 2020 was also the year when the Seattle Mariners made a huge 7-player deal with San Diego at the MLB trade deadline.
The M’s sent catcher Austin Nola, and relievers Austin Adams, and Dan Altavilla to San Diego in exchange for infielder Ty France, relief pitcher Andres Munoz, outfielder Taylor Trammell, and catcher Luis Torrens. Three years later, this trade is still significantly impacting both teams.
It was a move that shocked all of baseball. But for the most part, the motives of both teams was clear.
San Diego needed Nola’s versatility. He was a player the Padres believed would be their starting catcher of the future. It appeared that the journeyman backstop figured out how to handle MLB pitchers and would be an asset behind the plate.
As for Adams and Altavilla, they were to help bolster San Diego’s bullpen for a playoff run.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners looked like they might make the playoffs for the first time in 18 years. If they didn’t play in the postseason, then they’d have more young controllable assets.
France had already made his MLB debut but it was in a limited capacity and since San Diego had Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer, he appeared to be blocked. Trammell was once a top prospect whose hype had taken a bit of a hit. A change of organization could be the thing that put him over the top.
A promising closer prospect, Munoz was recovering from Tommy John surgery. Finally, Torrens showed some developmental progress. With more growth might develop into a useful Major League player.
Now that it’s been three years, how should fans look at this blockbuster trade? Perhaps no differently now than then.
There were many fans that viewed and still view this trade as an absolute win for the Seattle Mariners. As for San Diego, it’s still one of their worst trades in team history.
Seattle got an All-Star, Ty France, and a lights-out bullpen arm, Andres Munoz. Meanwhile, San Diego has an oft-injured catcher who struggles to hit.
San Diego’s side
Both Adams and Altavilla are no longer with the Friars. In fact, Altavilla hasn’t been in the majors since, and Adams ended up spending two more seasons in San Diego. This year Adams is with NL West rival, Arizona.
As for Nola, he’s currently batting .142 this season with only one home run in his 120 at-bats. Last month, San Diego claimed Gary Sanchez. Since then, “The Kraken” has handled most of the current catching duties.
They also have Luis Campusano. the former top prospect is expected to return from injury at some point this season. Nola could be the odd man out.
Seattle Mariners side
As for the players the Seattle Mariners acquired. Well, the previously mentioned Ty France has earned an All-Star appearance and could possibly do so again in 2023.
Trammell was once again optioned to the minors this season after previously being up with the team. At this point, he’s looking more and more like a Quad-A player. But it’s not out of the question that he could get another call-up.
Flame thrower Munoz returned from an injury he sustained this season and is looking like his old self. He’s back, firing nasty sliders and 100 mph fastballs and making opposing hitters look silly.
As for Torrens, he’s the one player the Mariners received who is no longer on the team. He appeared in 55 games in his final Seattle season of 2022.
This year hasn’t gone the way he had hoped. First, he inked a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs, getting a call-up at the end of March, and playing 13 games before being designated for assignment at the end of April.
Since then, Baltimore acquired him from the Cubs for cash considerations on May 3rd. Six days later, Torrens was DFA’d once again. This time, he elected free agency and signed a minor league contract with Washington on May 18th.
So, in looking back on this blockbuster, it’s very easy to say that this was a great trade for the Seattle Mariners. One that has helped shape this team’s young core and continued on its upward trajectory. With this year’s trade deadline approaching at the end of July, it will be interesting to see what direction the team pursues.
Three years later, how would you rate the Seattle Mariners big deadline deal with San Diego?