Seattle Mariners: Predicting 2019 Destinations of 6 M’s Players

After the trade of James Paxton, it is now public knowledge that the Mariners intend to take a step back in 2019. Jerry Dipoto is not the type of GM to sit on his hands; thus, he will surely be busy over the coming months to offload other current M’s for young, controllable pieces.

Immediately following the Paxton deal, rumors of a possible swap of Mike Leake and Jean Segura to the San Diego Padres for Wil Myers began to swirl. It appears that the Mariners are looking to stay ahead of the market, or set it themselves, with two major trades done and a third seemingly on the horizon. Now it all comes down to who Seattle wants to keep on board once they hit their set window of 2020 or 2021, and who they believe they can live without.

It also comes down to finding these players a new home, and whether it fits and makes sense for the player, the partner, and the M’s themselves. The Mariners don’t have an abundance of young talent, and for the little they have, some have blossomed into stars. Picking and choosing which of these players are more integral than the other to reach the short window the organization has set for itself will be hard, specifically in the cases of Mitch Haniger, Edwin Díaz, and Marco Gonzales.

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It’s a strategy, but not a very sound one if we’re being honest. Seattle has put an enormous amount of pressure on themselves to sell off some of their most important pieces and then quickly turn things around in a matter of two or three years. Success is certainly a possibility, but it’s far from guaranteed. The returns in these deals will have to lean in Seattle’s favor, and the likes of Justus Sheffield and Mallex Smith will play a large role in that idea.

For today, we will look at several current M’s who have seemingly found themselves on the trade block, or should at the very least. Not only does it matter which team makes the most sense for the player, but who can offer Seattle the best package in return.