Kolten Wong hits a home run for the Milwaukee Brewers.
On Friday afternoon, the Seattle Mariners traded for a new second baseman. They sent Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro to the Milwaukee Brewers for Kolten Wong. A deal like that is worth a few more logs on the hot stove, and it piqued the interest of our writers.
Like almost everyone else does these days, the Pacific Northwest Sports staff works remotely. Instead of the water cooler, we talk to each other via slack.
In our slack chat about the trade were Andrew Elderbaum (AE), Joe Swenson (JS), Ed Stein (ES), Chris Phillips (CP), and Herb Nightengale (HN).
AE: Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro for Wong? Joe Swenson, thoughts?
JS: Love it. We overpaid in overall value, but Wong allows us to be more flexible with Dylan Moore and Sam Haggerty in a platoon with Jarred Kelenik (if he’s still an option).
AE: That was my thought. Also, Wong is older than you might think. His skill set should age ok, but heading into his age 32 season gives me pause.
ES: Is Wong a legit top-of-the-order guy?
JS: More like a #6 guy
AE: His on base percentage is borderline for a top-of-the-order guy. Last year he gave up some batting average and showed a little more power. Joe’s right; I’d say he belongs in the lower third of the order.
ES: So, no Trea Turner.
JS: MLB Tonight just did a statcast on Wong’s fly balls and games against the shift, and if he were with the Seattle Mariners last year, Wong would’ve batted .277 with 19 HRs.
CP: I’ll say it. Hernandez and Wong = Winker and Frazier, all over again.
JS: In what way is this equal?
CP: Hernandez and Winker were both billed as power bats. Wong and Frazier were both billed as good defenders, with little pop and good batting average/ on base percentage.
JS: Teoscar is a plus defender with more power. Wong has good power for a second baseman but has excellent gap power and is a plus defender. Frazier was a slightly below-average defender.
ES: Andrew Benintendi? Brandon Nimmo?
AE: If I had to take one of those guys, it’d be Nimmo.
JS: Same. Love Nimmo, and if Michael Conforto is healthy, I wouldn’t mind him on a limited contract. Benintendi could be a good piece in left field and at the top of the lineup. Zero power, though.
ES: He’s a table setter. Same with Nimmo. I also like Conforto.
AE: I don’t trust Benintendi to hit .320 again. If he goes back to .270 with no power, he’s really not very good.
I’d kick the tires on Gallo. He’s good defensively and is one of the guys the shift had a huge impact on. If he can’t hit .230 and his OBP would be well over. 350 with power. Gallo would be a good buy-low candidate.
ES: I saw Gallo in Texas. He’s a very good defensive outfielder. That hole in his swing is gaping.
AE: Oh yeah, he’s gonna strike out 25-30% of the time. But he walks a ton and has that power.
The shift KILLED him. Gallo could bounce back to Texas production without it. That’s a guy who can hit 40 home runs and play excellent defense.
He’s gonna be looking for a fresh start. If the Mariners can get him on discount on a one-year deal, worth taking a shot
ES: Two years for Gallo works too. Then do they use Jarred Kelenic as the fourth outfielder/DH?
HN: Seattle has the short right field, so a good solid left-handed outfielder/DH would be good. I like to have Mitch Haniger back on the Seattle Mariners, but I’m not sure it will happen, and I don’t want him to go to the Angels or Rangers.
AE: If you believe you can keep him healthy, Brandon Drury is an interesting fit too.
ES: I’m sorry, but this deal doesn’t do much to close the gap between Houston and Seattle.
AE: I think he’ll be an upgrade over Frazier. It’s not a game-changer, but he improves the Seattle Mariners lineup. Wong/Hernandez is an upgrade over Frazier/Winker.
JS: Lol Ed. We didn’t have a second baseman. Frazier is a free agent. Also, the winter isn’t done. I hate it when people think that it should only take one trade or acquisition to close the gap. Now the Mariners have an everyday second baseman vs. righties for sure.
ES: Not saying that. But where do the Seattle Mariners close the gap?
JS: The Seattle Mariners aren’t going to close the gap on hitting, and if the Astros don’t sign Justin Verlander or any other ace, Seattle will close the gap significantly.
CP: Something to think about, a Trade Tree…
1 – On July 27, 2001, the Seattle Mariners traded Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero for Toro.
2 – Toro helped break the playoff drought.
3 – Toro just now dealt as a piece to get Wong.
The Graveman trade keeps looking better and better for Seattle.
HN: No one expected Montero to do what he did for the Astros this year. His uptick could be for one year, anyway. Graveman didn’t stay with Houston, so that’s a good way to look at it.
CP: This Wong deal means Julio is still the lead-off guy. Who bats second now is in question?
We’ll pick up that conversation at a later date.
What do you think about the Seattle Mariners trading for Wong?