Seattle Mariners: 5 Best Trade Spots for Outfielder Mitch Haniger

The Seattle Mariners have moved a lot of players in their quest for a quick rebuild. But the one player who may have the most value is still in Seattle. So today, we look at the 5 best destinations for Mitch Haniger.

Amongst the player already traded by Mariners GM, Jerry Dipoto are the likes of Mike Zunino, James Paxton, Edwin Diaz, and Robinson Cano. However, Mitch Haniger is still hanging around. Dipoto has been adamant that Haniger will likely start the year with the team unless he is “blown away” by an offer.

We also know that the Mariners have been presented with several offers, but Dipoto has publicly stated that none of the offers came close. Publicly, everything Dipoto has said sure makes it sound like Haniger will be on the team when Seattle heads to Tokyo in March. But he said similar things about Diaz and, well… he is in New York.

The real question is whether or no Dipoto’s posturing about Haniger is just that. Is it just GM speak trying to jack up the market on Haniger? Or is he really untouchable? Obviously, there are merits on both side of the coin, but it is tough to believe that JERRY DIPOTO doesn’t want to trade Mitch Haniger.

Well today, we prepare for worst… or best depending on how you look at things. Today, we look at the 5 best trade fits for the 28-year-old outfielder.

1. Atlanta Braves

Long rumored to be the most interested team, the Atlanta Braves always have, and still remain, the most obvious fit for a Haniger trade. Dipoto has stated they would need 2 premier prospects, including a pitcher, and 2 or three other pieces to move Haniger. We wrote about the potential trade comparison Dipoto is likely working from, and it falls in line with this public statement.

The Atlanta Braves have the capability to make such an offer, all without completely gutting their farm system. With Nick Markakis a free agent, and with a young core who is in the early stages of their contention window, everything points to the Braves as being the team most likely to make a competitive offer for Haniger’s services.

But thus far, the Braves have yet to make an offer that has met the Mariners high asking price. Earlier, we speculated on a package that would meet or exceed Dipoto’s price point. We believe the Braves are one of the few teams that have actually brought an offer to the Mariners but have been told it was not enough.

But the fact remains, Atlanta has exactly the type of players Dipoto wants, the depth to give it up, and perfect alignment with Haniger’s club control and their contention window. The Braves make the most sense.

3. St. Louis Cardinals

After the White Sox and Braves, there are a handful of teams who are all bunched together in terms of fit for Haniger. One of these teams is the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards have already added Paul Goldschmidt this off-season, and with Harrison Bader and Marcel Ozuna entrenched in CF and LF, the opening in RF remains to be filled.

They will not be involved in the Harper sweepstakes, leaving Haniger as the best available option. Signing a player like Nick Markakis might make more sense, but if the Cards want cheap, club-control in RF, they have the pieces to make it happen.

Obviously, with prospects and young MLB talents like Alex Reyes, Nolan Gorman, Dakota Hudson, Tyler O’Neill, and Jack Flaherty, the Cardinals could make a compelling match for the Mariners.

In addition, Jose Martinez could be involved in such a deal and makes more sense for the Mariners than the Cardinals. Martinez can hit, but has no home defensively, and would greatly benefit from being the DH for an AL team.

While the possibility of a 3 team deal still exists, the Cardinals do have the necessary ammo to make a deal happen, despite sending some nice pieces to the Diamondbacks for Goldschmidt.

Haniger would give St. Louis an elite right fielder for 4 years, the first 2 being almost free. The Mariners could recoup a good young arm like Reyes or Hudson, plus a veteran like Martinez, and a bat, possibly Tyler O’Neill or Nolan Gorman.

The fit is the biggest check mark for the Cardinals. Their farm system is still good, but not in the same realm as Chicago and/or Atlanta. St. Louis may need to provide Dipoto a young MLB player to get a Haniger deal done, but is still too obvious of a fit to ignore.

4. Tampa Bay Rays

Unlike the Cardinals, the Rays roster doesn’t have an obvious fit for Haniger, but certainly has the prospect depth and quality to match Dipoto’s asking price.

It’s not like the Rays have irreplaceable outfielders, as their current opening day projection has Kevin Kiermaier in CF and Austin Meadows in RF. Kiermaier is a great defender, but has been unable to stay healthy and has been average-at-best with the bat.

Meadows was a highly touted prospect who came to TB in the Chris Archer trade and flashed in his 60 games at the big leagues in 2018. Haniger would represent an upgrade to either, but perhaps not significant enough to entice the Rays to get involved.

If they were interested, they could put together a package that could, theoretically, challenge or beat both the White Sox and Braves. With prospects like Brendan McKay, Jesus Sanchez, Brent Honeywell, Matthew Liberatore, Vidal Brujan, and Shane Baz representing just a fraction of the talent in this system, the Rays might have the 3rd best system in baseball.

Honeywell would definitely check off the box of highly touted pitching prospect on Dipoto’s list, and Ronaldo Hernadez and Shane McClanahan are a heck of a secondary piece to entice Dipoto and the Mariners.

Where the Cardinals may need to add major league talent to compete with the other teams ahead of them, the Rays have to ammo to use their farm system to acquire an All-Star, without touching their MLB roster.

As I mentioned above, the Cardinals are just a better fit than the Rays. However, on a prospect by prospect basis, the Rays easily outgun St. Louis.

5. San Diego Padres

Finally, we come to the National League Team who insists it is ready to compete without many indications they actually can. After shelling out huge money to Eric Hosmer, who ultimately flopped in year 1, the Padres have been connected to a multitude of high profile free agents and trade candidates like Corey Kluber.

In the Kluber rumors, the Padres are rumored to be building a package with either Manuel Margot or Hunter Renfroe. If that deal is accepted, it could very well bump the Padres into the top 3 of the Haniger sweepstakes. The outfield is already a bit of a question mark in San Diego, and subtracting a player would require adding one down the road.

While they may believe that Wil Myers, Travis Jankowski, and Franmil Reyes is “good enough”, I don’t believe the Padres are stupid. Adding Haniger to that mix would instantly upgrade both the lineup and defensive ability.

Prospect wise, the Padres have one of the better systems in the game. Personally, I find it a bit overrated, but it is still deep enough to make a Haniger trade make sense for both sides. Fernando Tatis Jr., MacKenzie Gore, and Francisco Mejia are likely off-limits. But the Padres could still put out a nice prospect haul to make something happen.

Names like Chris Paddack, Michel Baez, Logan Allen, Anderson Espinoza, Cal Quantrill, and Adrian Morejon could all fill the Dipoto need of a top pitching prospect. And Luis Urias, Jankowski, Austin Hedges, and Reyes all make some sense as a bat heading back to Seattle.

San Diego’s package back to Seattle would likely be pitcher heavy, but Dipoto may not care if the package is overwhelming. The Padres still have a good blend of need and ability to acquire Haniger, and perhaps my bias against their system has been factored into my ranks.

Aside from these 5 teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and the Philadelphia Phillies also make sense for varying degrees of reasons.