Seattle Mariners: Dissecting the Latest Padres Trade Rumor

Not more than 24 hours after the Mariners traded staff ace James Paxton to the New York Yankees, a rumor yesterday afternoon caused an even bigger stir for fans than the Paxton deal.

If you didn’t see it, the tweet that sent Mariners nation into a frenzy came from Ken Rosenthal and read:

Obviously, a deal of this magnitude would most definitely cause mass panic in Mariners Nation. The deal is so odd and with the low fan trust in Mariners management, particularly in GM Jerry Dipoto, fans wasted no time trashing the idea.

Before too long, cooler heads prevailed. The deal was not thought to be imminent, just an idea pitched from one of the parties. Obviously, if the Mariners made the deal listed above, it would be a straight salary dump, which is not something the team would be interested in. After all, both Segura and Leake are relative bargains on their current deals, and after 2019, Wil Myers wouldn’t be.

The proposed deal would clear up roughly $21 million of the next 4 years for the Mariners. But after a few minutes of thought, it became painfully clear that the deal reported above would be incomplete, which was later confirmed.

We actually talked at great length about Wil Myers in our James Paxton to San Diego piece, which highlighted the pros and cons of taking on Myers’ contract. However, there would be more pieces coming back to the Mariners besides Myers. Until we know for sure who they are, it is impossible to fairly judge this trade.

Another possible snag in the deal is that both Jean Segura and Mike Leake would need to waive their no-trade clauses. Whether Segura would willingly leave his friend Robinson Cano behind remains to be seen, as does Mike Leake desire to go to another team.

The report also mentions that San Diego is “just one of several options being presented to Leake”. Reading between the lines, it is hard to imagine that Leake wouldn’t be the next Mariner to be dealt if he is, in fact, willing to waive his NTC.

The report that the Mariners are actively listening on Jean Segura may in fact point to a true rebuild, which may crack open the possibility that the team may entertain offers on Edwin Diaz as well.

One thing is for sure, these trade rumors aren’t going away any time soon. Barring a snag with their no-trade clauses, it seems like Segura and Leake will be playing baseball elsewhere in 2019. Whether that be in San Diego or elsewhere will remain to be seen.