Mariners Who Could Possibly Be Traded This Offseason

May 19, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher

(63) sits behind home plate after Cleveland Indians shortstop

(not pictured) scored from second base on a ground out in the fourth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

C/DH Jesus Montero

Seattle M’s catcher/designated hitter Jesus Montero has fallen on harder times than an Enron investor. The 23- year-old Venezuelan was once touted as a cornerstone of the franchise’s future; now he’s a potential Quadruple-A player with an unsightly drug suspension under his belt.

While he was serviceable in 2012 (.260 Avg. with 15 homers), 2013 was a disaster (.208 Avg. with three homers).

Rumors floated around last season that, in addition to the ‘roids and poor production, he had a warped sense of entitlement and came into spring training out of shape. But both of these issues are fixable.

A demotion to Triple-A will hopefully deflate the bad attitude and a drug suspension should give a player plenty of time to workout. Either way, Montero is no longer considered to be a franchise player, but he still has potential trade value.

He is young, has experience at the highest level, and despite all the negativity surrounding him he’s really only had one bad season. The returns might be minuscule, but Montero is expendable and the M’s could shop him around.