Option 1:

Nick Franklin

Yes, Franklin is only 22 and has had some large questions posed about his defense, including by me. But what he has shown early in AAA Tacoma is incredible, especially for a 22-year-old switch-hitting middle infielder. His triple slash line is .325/.449/ .500, but what I like more and what shows progress from last year is his 14% K percentage and 16% BB percentage. The K issues that he has struggled with in the past may be past him, but he has only had 11 games this year, so small sample size and all. He needs more seasoning, but if Andino and Ryan keep playing awful, Franklin is the closest in the system to playing for Seattle.

Option 2:

Carlos Triunfel

The former prospect has become more of a forgotten player as he sits in Tacoma, still struggling with plate discipline and hitting non-fastballs. But he has shown a hot bat to start this year, even hitting for the cycle earlier this year, and he does play shortstop, a seemingly important qualification at this point. The reason why Franklin gets the nod over Triunfel: He is younger, better at the plate and better defensively.

Option 3

Brad Miller

Full Disclosure: I think Miller will be the Mariners starting shortstop in the next two years. But for now, he is in AA Jackson hitting the ball really hard. That last sentence holds the reason why he is not option 2 and why he could very easily be option 1. He has not hit above the AA level ever and he is not as talented as Manny Machado, so don’t make that justification. But he is hitting .286/ .351/ .500 in Jackson in 18 games, which is a slightly larger sample than Franklin, but not large enough to put him over Triunfel.

Ryan is still the best overall shortstop in the Mariner organization, with Franklin second and Andino third. Andino is in Seattle because he can play 2B, SS and 3B. Not because he can hit .275 or even .250. Ryan is in Seattle because he plays excellent defense, not because he has ever been a very good hitter or even a good hitter. The Mariners can bench him for awhile to let him figure out his swing, but the team, right now, is better when Andino is on the bench and Ryan is playing shortstop.

The newest Mariner starter, Aaron Harang. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE:

The Mariners will send right-handed reliever Steven Hensley to the Dodgers in exchange for Harang. Hensley made two appearances in Tacoma in 2013, surrendering one run. Last season, Hensley split time in between Jackson and Tacoma, posting a 4.84 ERA in 44 relief appearances.

The back end of the Mariners rotation has struggled mightily in 2013, and patience has apparently run out. According to Fox’s Ken Rosenthal, the Mariners are in the final stages of securing a deal for Rockies’ starter Aaron Harang.

Harang, who went 10-10 with a 3.61 ERA last season for the Dodgers, was traded to the Rockies Saturday in exchange for backup catcher Ramon Hernandez. Immediately, the Rockies designated Harang for assignment and began shopping him to prospective teams around the league.

According to Rosenthal’s twitter account, the teams need approval of the commissioner’s office, which typically is required when a trade involves an exchange of over $1 million. Harang presents an inexpensive option, since the Dodgers are already covering more than half of his $7 million 2013 salary.

Recent reports have also linked an unnamed right-handed reliever to go from the Mariners to the Rockies once the trade goes through.

Harang would likely replace either Brandon Maurer or Blake Beavan in the Mariners’ rotation. Maurer, who is 0-2 with an atrocious 16.20 ERA thus far in 2013, failed to get out of the first inning Tuesday. He surrendered six earned runs and seven hits while recording just two outs. Beavan has posted an 0-1 record with a 7.59 ERA in his first two starts. The Astros beat him around Wednesday night to the tune of five runs (four earned) and nine hits in 5.2 innings.

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Mariners traded John Jaso for an old friend in Michael Morse, except Jaso went to Oakland because it was a three-team deal. I’ve gathered—since I’m literate—that neither Dave Cameron nor Jeff Sullivan like the trade (see: here and here). So I’m going to go about this as objectively as possible, perhaps with things like new-fangled “statistics.”

We should all know Jaso by now. He’s a sabermetric darling with that 13.4% career walk rate, and perhaps it’s fitting that Oakland nabbed him. He caught a perfect game once, if you heard, and he proved over the course of the season that he wasn’t an incompetent catcher by any means. He was also our best hitter last year by just about every measurement. Except stolen bases.

Since joining the Nationals in 2009, Morse has spent significant time in the corner outfield positions and at first base. He has also spent significant time sucking at those positions. In about a season-and-a-half in the outfield, Morse cost the Nationals about 23 runs by UZR standards or 7 runs by DRS standards. So maybe it’s more accurate to say, “maybe he’s awful, or maybe he’s just bad.” In any case, outfield defense is not his strong suit, and it’s not like there’s room for him at first base at the moment. Morse was definitely not brought in for his glove.

The Mariners traded for Morse not because he can field, but because he can hit! Sometimes. His major attraction comes in the form of 31 homeruns in just 575 plate appearances during the 2011 season. His ISO power since joining the Nats has been well above .200, and everyone likes power. Morse has always been able to turn contact into hits well, posting a career BABIP of .344 in 1690 plate appearances. Bill James projects that it all adds up to a .360 wOBA in 2013. This is becoming a list of good news, but the good news seems to halt there.

After turning 30, Morse saw his ISO dip below .200 last season in his 430 plate appearances. That could be random noise, or it could be the natural aging process that seems to be a thing after 30. His career walk rate of 5.9% is well below league average, and his high flail-rate (36.7% vs. league-average 29%) suggests that this low walk rate is for real. And even that .360 wOBA projection is worse that Jaso’s .372 last season, which is not even park-adjusted.

It would have been awesome to add Morse without giving up a player of Jaso’s caliber. In other words, Morse is not a bad player. But when Jaso is the guy we lose, I have a hard time supporting this deal in and of itself. Since I believe that Jack is a smart baseball mind (pending), I’m going to optimistically assume this is part of another move. The Mariners obviously need a catcher now after the trade, and maybe he has something set up to nab a catcher and something else shiny in a trade. Maybe this was the only way to swing it. Maybe. Otherwise, stay healthy, Mike. Hit 40 out if you could, please.