Seattle Mariners Should Target These 4 Players in Trade

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SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 30: GM Jerry Dipoto of the Seattle Mariners looks on from the dugout prior to the game against the Houston Astros at Safeco Field on September 30, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

No Seattle Mariners fans should be shocked by the following statement, but GM Jerry Dipoto sure does love to trade. And while Dipoto has vowed to cut back on his activity, it is unlikely this front office group will be kept quiet this winter.

The problem with being an active trader is that eventually, you’ll run out of assets to move. The farm system was bad when Dipoto took over in September of 2015, and it is bad today. To his credit, Dipoto has not traded the big prospects he had, aside from Tyler O’Neill. And yet he has executed more than 40 trades in his first 2 seasons at the helm.

What we have not seen from Dipoto is a willingness to go big in free agency, at least in Seattle. Of course, during his tenure in for the Angels, Dipoto went big 3 times in free agency. However; the signings of Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, and C.J. Wilson are often attributed as mandated by Arte Moreno, the owner of the Los Angeles Angels, and not specific Dipoto targets.

While in Seattle, Dipoto has shelled out just 2 multi-year deals in free agency. Both of these contracts went to relievers, and both where just 2 year deals. The simple fact is, until we see him do it, we must assume that Jerry Dipoto will add to this team via trades, not fancy free agent signings.

But who will he trade for? Does he have the assets to make a big time deal? Who is even available? Here are 4 potential trade targets for Jerry Dipoto to consider this winter.

Justin Bour, First Baseman, Miami Marlins

MILWAUKEE, WI – SEPTEMBER 16: Justin Bour /

The Miami Marlins have new ownership, and are demanding to their baseball ops people that they shed payroll to get below the $90 million mark. A great way to endear yourself to a new fan base right?

The Marlins have already stated a preference to move on from big name and high-priced players like Martin Prado, Dee Gordon, and some Hulk looking player named Giancarlo Stanton. But these 3 players each represent unique challenges. Prado is scheduled to make $28 million over the next 2 seasons, and is simply not worth that much money.

Stanton will have plenty of suitors, but the contract is a bit of an issue for any inquiring team, except for maybe the Phillies (hint, hint). Gordon is a light hitting second baseman, who relies on speed and defense for his value, not tools that tend to age well. Gordon is 29 years old and still has at least 3 years and $37 million left on his deal.

The Mariners are not obvious fits for any of these players. They are, however, a fit for Justin Bour. Bour is beloved by the Marlins and their fans, and is scheduled to make just $3.5 million as an arbitration 1 player. He has 3 year of control left, and would not come cheap.

Bour prodigious left-handed power would be a good fit in Seattle, and his on-base skill is well above average. It is hard to see the Mariners and Marlins line up in trade talks, and the M’s would probably have to part ways with Nick Neidet, Andrew Moore, or Marcos Gonzales to make it happen.

Proposal: Nick Neidert and Chuck Taylor for Justin Bour

Cesar Hernandez, Utility, Philadelphia Phillies

PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 29: Cesar Hernandez /

The Phillies have been rumored to be shopping both Cesar Hernandez and Freddy Galvis, in an attempt to hand their middle infield jobs to youngsters Scott Kingery and J.P. Crawford. Unlike the Marlins, the Phillies do not need to shed salary. In fact, they need to add salary. So in this scenario, Seattle will need to win a good old-fashioned bidding war.

Hernandez is just 27 years old, and would provide a massive upgrade over current Mariners Utility Man, Taylor Motter. Hernandez is primarily a second baseman, and would need some time in spring training to learn how to roam the outfield. He is a very good athlete, and does have some big league experience in the outfield.

The biggest problem concerning the Mariners ability to trade for Hernandez is Hernandez himself. The youngster still has 3 years of club control, and has a combined 7.6 fWAR over the last 2 seasons.

Hernandez is a good base-runner with a plus on-base tool. While it might seem silly to spend significant resources on a utility man, it is not difficult to find 400 PA for Hernandez. 15-20 games at the 4 infield positions, plus another 20 games in the corner outfield spots gives you 400 PA. Hernandez is also excellent insurance for a Robinson Cano or Jean Segura DL trip, both true possibilities.

Proposal: Erasmo Ramirez,Chris Torres and Max Povse for Cesar Hernandez

Jake Odorizzi, Starting Pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays

KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 30: Starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi /

Much like their Florida counterparts, the Tampa Bay Rays enter the off-season with a directive from ownership to shed payroll. The Rays have 13 players eligible for arbitration, including a potential pricey $6.5 million projection on Jake Odorizzi.

Many in Tampa are speculating that the Rays will be forced to move Odorizzi and speculate that a price tag similar to Drew Smyly would do the trick. Hey, the Seattle Mariners know a thing or two about that!

Odorizzi is coming off his worst statistical season in his big league career, posting a pedestrian 4.14 ERA with a dreadful 5.10 xFIP. Odorizzi does have some of the skills Dipoto covets. He averages just under 8 K/9 with a sub 3.00 BB/9 (2017 an exception). He is also an extreme flyball pitcher, and pitching in Seattle and out of the AL East could help.

Proposal: Dan Vogelbach and Chase De Jong for Jake Odorizzi

Billy Hamilton, Center Field, Cincinnati Reds

The Seattle Mariners currently have a massive hole in centerfield. Well… not literally. After all, Guillermo Heredia is a more than capable bat against LHP and plays a mean center defensively to boot. But against RHP, the position could become a wasteland. The options in free agency all carry some risk, and Lorenzo Cain is 32 and will cost a draft pick and a large chunk of your budget.

The Mariners aren’t likely to find and every day CF on the trade block either. It does not currently sound like the big names of Kevin Keirmaier and Kevin Pillar are available. The young crop seems to be a bit too expensive, namely Michael Taylor, Albert Almora, and Marcell Ozuna.

If the team wants to spend big on the pitching side of things, they might consider adding an outfielder to compliment their others, instead of dolling out big money on 1 guy. Enter Billy Hamilton.

Lets get this out of the way now: Billy Hamilton is a dreadful hitter. Like, really bad. He has a career 71 wRC+. Remember, 100 wRC+ is considered average. Hamilton is 30% below average, aka bad. He hits a little better against RHP, which makes him a decent platoon partner with Heredia. What Hamilton lacks in hitting ability, he makes up for in other areas of the field. You see, Billy Hamilton is the fastest player in all of baseball.

Hamilton uses this speed to create havoc on the base paths. He has stolen at least 56 bases in each of the last 4 seasons. He immediately creates problems for opposing pitchers, and is one of the smartest and most aggressive base runners in baseball.

Hamilton also plays elite defense in center, grading out as better than even Jarrod Dyson from a year ago. Hamilton is an ideal player to have on your bench or at the bottom of your lineup. If he could just become a slightly below average hitter, his defense and speed could carry him to being a 4+ win player. At 27 years old, he still has a chance to get there.

Proposal: Andrew Moore and PTBNL for Billy Hamilton

Next: The Mike Leake Allegory

The Seattle Mariners have a lot of work to do if they want to end their 16 year playoff drought. Making a handful of creative trades and aggressive free agent signing could go a long way to making it happen.

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