Seattle Mariners: Who is really untouchable?
When you get down to it, there are only two untouchable players in the entire Seattle Mariners organization.
It’s the MLB offseason. Seattle Mariners fans have their hot stoves on high as they banter about ideas they have for their team and what trades could happen. There is always that line, though. The precious few players on the team where any conversation stops. The untouchables.
Before going any further, no asset on the planet can’t be moved for the right price. Here’s a good baseball example: Angels new GM Perry Minasian dials almost any of his counterparts and starts the conversation with… I’ll send you Mike Trout and pick up half his remaining salary straight up for…
It doesn’t matter what name he says after that, the deal is done. There isn’t another general manager in baseball that wouldn’t accept those terms for anyone on their ballclub. Of course, that scenario isn’t happening, but the point is made.
What makes a player untouchable? It’s much harder to say than to know. You can literally pick any player on any team and know whether or not he’s tradeable. Since we are talking about the Seattle Mariners, it’s not a very big group.
Before getting into that discussion, there is a tier below untouchable that’s more like implausible. Players who the Mariners could trade, but general manager Jerry Dipoto would have to get knocked out of his chair for those guys to get moved.
Highly Unlikely
Just because a player isn’t untouchable certainly doesn’t mean he’ll get traded anytime soon. The Seattle Mariners have three maybe four players who are highly unlikely to be traded. We can start with the only pitcher on the list, Marco Gonzales.
On many teams, especially World Series contenders, Gonzales isn’t an ace. On this team, he is. He has a reasonable contract and gives the Mariners a good chance to win every time he takes the mound.
As a rookie, first baseman Evan White proved he can play elite defense. He’s got a Gold Glove in his trophy case to prove it. Now his bat has to catch up. That’s something worth waiting for, at least for the next two seasons.
Then there is Seattle’s other Gold Glove winner, J.P. Crawford. Because of his age, upside, and popularity, it’s improbable Dipoto would trade him, at least for this season.
It’s possible the Mariners could trade Logan Gilbert or Emerson Hancock, but not both.
The Untouchables
The first untouchable is fairly easy. Unless he turns into Chris Davis of Baltimore overnight, reigning American League Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis can count on playing in the Emerald City for years to come. Aside from the above impossible Mike Trout scenario, there isn’t a deal out there Dipoto makes that involves Lewis. He’s a proven five-tool player, and those guys don’t come around very often.
As hard as it may be to fathom because he hasn’t played a Major League game yet, M’s phenom Jarred Kelenic is also a Seattle Mariners untouchable. Kelenic has all the tools to be a legitimate superstar, but it’s all speculation until he actually plays in the majors. He’s untouchable because of the embarrassment factor of him well out-performing anyone he’d get traded for.
Related: Jerry Dipoto’s Top 5 tradeable assets
Do you agree with these untouchables and highly unlikely lists? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.