Mariners Trade Rumors: Matt Kemp, Yoenis Cespedes, and Justin Upton

It comes as no surprise that the Mariners are looking for a right-handed power bat to solidify the middle of their starved lineup.

With a tweet coming from Jon Morosi, it appears that trading for one of the Matt Kemp, Yoenis Cespedes, and Justin Upton trio is a very real possibility:

There’s a lot to get out of this tweet. First, Morosi says the Mariners have had trade talks on multiple right-handed outfielders; this means the M’s have no limited their power search to these three hitters. Then, of course, come the three names most often linked to the Mariners when it comes to trading for a bat. Of the three, I am most partial to Matt Kemp, though his price would be higher with his years under contract and the amount of salary the Mariners would want the Dodgers to eat.

Morosi adds at the end that the Mariners “want to land one.” This is vague but at the same time encouraging. It doesn’t take Captain Obvious to note the Mariners desire for a power corner outfielder, but if sources are sharing this information it’s not unreasonable to think the Mariners are making a real hard push at a deal.

In a subsequent tweet, Morosi adds:

Yes, it is exactly what the Mariners need. With the free agent market thin on outfielders and thinning on hitters, the Mariners seem destined to nab a bat via the trade. If the M’s were to go out and get one of these guys, they could also pay for Nelson Cruz‘s services, and patrol with a 4 outfield rotation, making the DH spot a rest day for fielders instead of a job permanently bestowed on a big guy with a heavy bat.

None of these hitters will be cheap, though. And, according to Joel Sherman, the Braves are getting greedy on Justin Upton:

"The Braves are very much shopping Justin Upton and are requesting a higher return than they received earlier this week when they dealt their other corner outfielder, Jason Heyward."

In the case of Jason Heyward, the headliner in the trade from the Cardinals was Shelby Miller— a 24 year old with 2 full years of Major League experience and under team control until 2019. So when the Braves say they want a better return than that for Justin Upton, in Mariners terms, they are saying they want someone like Taijuan Walker or James Paxton.

More from Mariners Rumors

• How the Mariners could swing a trade for Fernando Tatis Jr
• What it would take for the Mariners to trade for Randy Arozarena
• Mariners News: Everything from Day One of the Winter Meetings
• Is Xander Bogaerts Still An Option For The Seattle Mariners?
• How the Mariners could complete a 3 team trade for Bryan Reynolds

The one year of hitting for five years of potential solid pitching is a risky trade to make. But, if the Mariners want to land a hitter this desperately, their hands may be tied by their desperation.

Fans can only hope that GM Jack Z makes smart decisions that help the team. But if no one is willing to give him a fair deal, let’s hope at the same time he is willing to walk away instead of gutting the team.

What are your thoughts? Would you rather see Yoenis Cespedes, Matt Kemp, or Justin Upton in a Mariners uniform in 2015?