Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners
Dee Gordon, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Keith Allison, via Wikicommons)
Author’s note: Anyone who has followed my work knows I don’t do “throw it against the wall and see if they stick” trade rumors. While each of the following trades may not be easy, they can get done.
This is a rebuilding year for the Seattle Mariners. Five to seven players in the lineup each night have under 500 career Major League plate appearances. Saying this team is inexperienced is like saying the Space Needle is tall. Because the M’s are green doesn’t mean they lack talent.
Several players on the roster are future stars such as J.P. Crawford, Kyle Lewis, and Evan White. Then there is another wave of top prospects led by Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez, who are close to breaking into the show. Expect that group to be part of the team next year. Even more potential impact players follow them. So the future is bright.
Seattle Mariners General Manager said he views the 2020 and 2021 seasons as one big 17-month developmental period. Young players will get every opportunity to succeed in the Emerald City. It’s not out of the question that the M’s emerge from the rebuild a little earlier than expected. Some wheeling and dealing from DiPoto can give the process a considerable boost.
The 2020 MLB season is unlike anything the league has ever seen before. With only 60 games and an expanded 16-team playoff, it’s a mad dash to the finish line. As the season reaches its midway point, and just five days from the trade deadline, only three teams are over five games from a playoff spot.
Another consideration when making deals is that there is no minor league baseball in 2020. Prospects are a considerable part of deadline deals as non-contenders deal away veterans and pending free agents in return for assets who can help them in the future.
In theory, there are very few sellers this year. The Seattle Mariners can take advantage of this situation and upgrade the team. Here are some big trades that could reshape the franchise.
Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Blake Handley, via Flickr)
Kyle Seager is the longest-tenured player on the roster and a fan favorite. In 2020, the 32-year-old Seattle third baseman is in the midst of an offensive renaissance. Seager is a consistent force at the plate for the first time in years. His trade value will never be higher than it is right now.
If it were only that simple. Seager comes with an $18M price tag for 2021, and a $15M team option in 2022 becomes a player option in the event the Seattle Mariners trade him. In short, it’s costly whoever deals for Seagerneeds deep pockets, despite the M’s kicking in a bunch of money.
Still, ESPN’s Jeff Passan had Seager heading to Atlanta as one of his most likely name players to move at the deadline. He reasoned that the Braves are disappointed with the young players they were counting on at the hot corner. Rookies Johan Camargo and Austin Riley have failed to fill departed free agent Josh Donaldson’s shoes.
As PNWS’ Ryan Bishop pointed out yesterday, Seager’s best fit is with the Seattle Mariners for the rest of this season and next. Even DiPoto said he expects Seager to be part of the team next year.
The financial flexibility Seattle gets by moving on from him is almost as important as what the team gets in return from Atlanta. Money will have plenty to do with who comes back to the Mariners. But an upper mid-level prospect isn’t out of the question.
One player they should target is outfielder Terone Harris, Atlanta’s number 15 prospect. Pitcher Huascar Ynoa (11th) is also someone who DiPoto can ask for in return. The former is needed for one of the upcoming trades, and the latter replaces a roster player who will be traded.
Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners.
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.
Jake Fraley, Seattle Mariners.
This trade is bound to be controversial. Put it in the category of “it’s so crazy; it might work.”
The phones have to be ringing off the hook at Cleveland Indians headquarters. Mike Clevinger is on the outs with his Indians teammates after he and fellow starter Zach Plesac broke coronavirus protocol earlier this month. Cleveland management seems willing to move him despite their status as a contender for the American League Central Division crown.
He won’t be cheap, and Mariners fans reading this will balk at what DiPoto has to give up. First of all, Kelenic, Rodriguez, White, as well as pitchers Logan Gilbert and Emerson Hancock are non-starters. Anyone else in the organization not named Lewis or Crawford (and maybe Noelvi Marte) is negotiable.
That means Seattle’s number six prospect George Kirby is involved. Cleveland’s outfielders have been awful this year. Not that the M’s have that much, but they can undoubtedly part with Dylan Moore or Tim Lopes. Jake Fraley (10th) and Bradon Bishop (19th) are also possible thrown-ins.
Although his 2020 has been just as bad as any of the Indians outfielders, Dee Gordon would provide depth for a dangerously thin middle infield, and speed on the basepaths. A deal of this magnitude may also include some lower-ranked prospects, maybe a relief pitcher, and even some cash to make it happen.
Question: If the Seattle Mariners are sellers, why would they buy high on a pitcher?
Answer: Because Clevinger is an ace and the Mariners need one. On a good team, Marco Gonzales is a number three starter. Justin Dunn and Justus Sheffield may get to Clevinger’s level one day, but not soon.
Clevinger is signed through 2022. If the Seattle Mariners are to contend in that year as planned, they need a staff ace. By 2023, one of the other highly regarded pitchers in the organization will be ready to assume his mantle.
What trades do you think the Seattle Mariners will make before the deadline on August 31? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.