Seattle Mariners: Three trades the M’s can make to transform the franchise
Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners.
Trade 2: Taijuan Walker to the New York Yankees
The injury bug has hit the New York Yankees hard this season. Their starting rotation needs help. Luis Severino is out for the year after Tommy John surgery. Former Mariners ace James Paxton is on the injured list again, and J.A. Happ is less effective on the mound than a band-aid for a shark bite.
It’s no wonder Bronx Bombers G.M. Brian Cashman has inquired about current M’s number two starter, Taijuan Walker. After a long struggle to recover from Tommy John surgery, Walker is once again an effective pitcher. The one-year, $2M contract he signed in February is a bargain.
Cashman won’t like what DiPoto asks him for, but he might have to suck it up in a seller’s market. Miguel Andujar is exactly who the Mariners need to replace Seager. Even if the M’s don’t move Seager, Andujar can DH. Unfortunately, he has struggled mightily since undergoing his own Tommy John surgery in May 2019. This year he’s hitting for a meager .095 average in 21 at-bats.
It’s more likely Andujar is closer to the third baseman who was the 2018 Rookie of the Year runner up with a .855 OPS than the dismal 2020 version. Cashman said he doesn’t want to trade the 25-year-old away; however, that could be posturing. Just like DiPoto is doing with Seager.
DiPoto might need to kick in a relief pitcher or mid-level or better prospect to make it happen, even Terone Harris from the Seager deal. Or he may have to take on a portion of Happ’s $17M salary in 2021. Which he might be able to do depending on how much New York is willing to pay. Andujar’s talent is well worth it.