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Seattle Mariners: 3 Bold Predictions for 2019 Trade Deadline

By Colby Patnode

SEATTLE, WA - MARCH 29: As confetti rains down, fans make their way into the stadium before a game on opening day between the Cleveland Indians and the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on March 29, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - MARCH 29: As confetti rains down, fans make their way into the stadium before a game on opening day between the Cleveland Indians and the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on March 29, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /
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2. One of Encarnacion, Bruce, Swarzak Survives

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 20: Jay Bruce #19 of the New York Mets celebrates a solo home run with Dominic Smith #22 in the third inning pitches during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 20, 2018, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 20: Jay Bruce #19 of the New York Mets celebrates a solo home run with Dominic Smith #22 in the third inning pitches during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 20, 2018, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

A common theme throughout this off-season for Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto has been to take on salary in trades in the hopes of flipping them for more prospects later. The 3 most prominent names on this list are Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, and Anthony Swarzak.

If all return to somewhere close to their 2017 form, they’ll all have some trade value, although perhaps not significant value. But trading 3 contracts like this in-season isn’t easy. In all honesty, good or not, Swarzak is probably the surest best of this group to get dealt. Somebody will throw a lottery ticket Seattle’s way to acquire a lottery ticket with slightly better odds in Swarzak.

Encarnacion has gone from seemingly traded, to ” a deal is getting close”, to “he’s probably going to start the year in Seattle” over the past month. Encarnacion’s contract is and will be the biggest bugaboo in any deal, but by July, teams will only be on the hooks for half his salary, which may actually increase his value slightly.

We profiled the struggles of Jay Bruce and his potential bounceback recently. Unlike Swarzak and Bruce, he has 2-years of club control. The Mariners would almost certainly love to trade all 3 of these players. However, it doesn’t mean it is going to happen.

I can’t say for sure which player will stick around, but if forced to pick, I would say, Bruce, simply because Dipoto doesn’t HAVE TO trade him in July. He can wait until winter. The odds are that all 3 of these guys will see less than 100 games in a Mariners uniform. But I wouldn’t be shocked to see at least 1 of them be a fixture in Seattle for 2019.

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