Seattle Mariners Trade Gamel to Milwaukee for Domingo Santana

The Seattle Mariners have made a trade. Shocking, I know. But after a week of inactivity, GM Jerry Dipoto could sit still no longer. On Thursday, the Mariners added the right-handed power bat they have been looking for.

The deal was announced just hours ago, the Seattle Mariners shipped fan favorite Ben Gamel and a low-level prospect to the Milwaukee Brewers for Domingo Santana. The deal came as a bit of a surprise. Dipoto had spoken of adding a right-handed hitting outfielder, but most assumed he was looking for a partner with Gamel, not a replacement.

For Gamel, the Brewers sent Domingo Santana, a 26-year-old outfielder. Santana was a highly touted prospect early in his career and was a centerpiece for the Brewers trade of Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers to the Houston Astros.

Santana broke out in 2017 and opened the eyes of baseball fans everywhere. He slashed .278/.371/.505 with 30 home runs and 15 stolen bases. Unfortunately for Santana, he could not repeat in 2018 and was unable to gain traction for consistent playing time in a crowded Brewers outfield.

In 2018, Santana still managed a decent .265/.328/.412 slash line and posted a 1.0 bWAR in just 235 PAs. Now he will get a full slate of at-bats for the Mariners, primarily playing in left field.

Defensively, Santana isn’t great. However, he isn’t a massive drop from the glove of Gamel, and will most likely compensate with more production at the plate. When looking at the deal, it appears the two teams made a fair deal.

For the Mariners, Santana has a significantly higher upside than Gamel and helps balance the order with a right-handed bat. If Santana can return to his 2017 form, he will have more trade value next winter than Ben Gamel could ever have.

Gamel will be missed by fans, but Santana is the better fit for the Mariners. He still has 3 years of club control remaining and with every day at-bats could regain tremendous trade value or become a building block for the next 3-years.