Sodo Mojo’s Mariners Trade Deadline Plan

SEATTLE, WA - JULY 8: Ichiro Suzuki #51 (R) of the Seattle Mariners jokes with Marco Gonzales #32 of the Seattle Mariners before a game against the Colorado Rockies at Safeco Field on July 8, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - JULY 8: Ichiro Suzuki #51 (R) of the Seattle Mariners jokes with Marco Gonzales #32 of the Seattle Mariners before a game against the Colorado Rockies at Safeco Field on July 8, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
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Trade 1: Leonys Martin for Ronald Rosario

OAKLAND, CA – AUGUST 08: Leonys Martin #12 of the Seattle Mariners looks back over his shoulder after he hit a home run in the 10th inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 8, 2017, in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – AUGUST 08: Leonys Martin #12 of the Seattle Mariners looks back over his shoulder after he hit a home run in the 10th inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 8, 2017, in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Sometimes, retreads work. The Mariners have a major offensive hole in centerfield. Guillermo Heredia is a nice defender, with a nice track record of hitting LHP well. However, Heredia is just a career .230/.319/.304 hitter against RHP. Playing every day has exposed Heredia’s weakness.

This doesn’t mean Heredia is a bad player or not a useful piece. He is a strong 4th OF, but cannot start 140+ games for anybody. He needs help. Enter former Mariners CF Leonys Martin. While some will grimace at the sight of such a move, the numbers do not lie. Martin would be an upgrade to the Mariners.

Martin is in the midst of a career season, but his fit in Seattle is undeniable. Defense? Martin is plus in all 3 OF spots. Baserunning? According to Fangraphs base-running score, Martin is above-average there.

In addition, he has pop, something Mariners fans should remember when he clubbed 15 homers for the 2016 squad. Martin is a natural fit in Seattle, as well as a platoon partner with Heredia in CF.

Martin has always hit better against RHP than LHP, and in 2018, he is slashing .281/.356/.452 against righties. A 122 wRC+ would dramatically improve the team’s ability to score runs, as well as prevent more.

Martin is absolutely a better defender than Heredia. He is an upgrade in every way over Heredia and should be available at a reasonable cost. Seattle will need to do at least one of two things to keep themselves in the playoff hunt: either score more runs or give up fewer. Martin allows you to do both.

We already know Martin will work in the clubhouse. We know he is a better defender than Heredia. And we know he can help the team against RHP. For the cost of Ronald Rosario, a toolsy OF who has never played higher than Low A-Ball competition, it seems to be something Dipoto can swing.

In fact, we might be over-bidding on Martin. But we are willing to roll the dice on our proposal. Leonys Martin is such an obvious fit, we couldn’t ignore the idea.

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