Seattle Mariners Prospect Trade Target List: AL West

Houston Astros

Colby’s pick: RHP Peter Solomon

Unlike the Angels, the Astros will absolutely be buyers this summer. There are a few interesting fits for the Astros and Mariners, including with names like Edwin Encarnacion. The Astros farm system isn’t what it used to be but still has a lot of interesting names.

The name I chose is Peter Solomon, a right-handed pitcher from Notre Dame. Solomon has good stuff, including a fastball between 93-96 mph, with a hard curveball that flashes plus, and a solid slider and changeup.

With 4 average or better pitches, Solomon should be a nearly untouchable prospect for the Mariners, but Solomon has a history of injuries and control issues. If he can stay healthy and continue to refine his command, Solomon could be a mid-rotation arm. At worst, he will be a solid, late-inning arm with a power fastball/curveball combo.

Ty’s pick: RHP Tyler Ivey

Like Solomon, Tyler Ivey has four pitches he can effectively use on most nights and appears to have the makeup of a quality future starter on paper. But the jury seems to still be out on whether or not his talents are best suited in the rotation or in the bullpen, seeing action in both roles in the minors.

Ivey hasn’t gotten a whole lot of play this year, pitching just 16 innings in his first four appearances. This seems to be fairly typical for starting pitching prospects in Houston’s system, but it does play a bit into the narrative that Ivey can’t take on a bulk of innings at a time.

As Baseball Savant pointed out in their 2019 preview of Ivey, there are some durability concerns linked to his funky delivery. So far, there’s been nothing to indicate a problem for him in the near future, but it is something to keep an eye on. The command on all four of his pitches has been present, and he’s been able to hit the strike zone on a consistent basis.

Ivey doesn’t necessarily have a plus pitch yet, but his curveball and fastball have been his two best pitches over the last year and change. Both have helped Ivey keep hitters off-balance and grasping at straws, keeping well north of a 10 K/9 throughout his young pro career.

While Ivey is a hot commodity at a premium position, the Astros are fortunate enough to have an abundance of pitching talent in their system. He can be had if the Mariners so desire. Ivey fits what Jerry Dipoto has sought after over the last year: young, controllable, and either near or already at the MLB level. By this time next year, Ivey is probably pitching in the majors, either as a starter or a reliever.

Oakland Athletics

Colby’s pick: SS Jeremy Eierman

The Seattle Mariners aren’t afraid to make trades in the division, and neither are the Oakland A’s. More than likely, the A’s will be fighting for a playoff spot this summer and have an interesting plethora of talent to consider.

My choice is shortstop Jeremy Eierman. I was a big fan of Eierman leading up to the 2018 MLB Draft and was bummed to see the A’s snag him with the 70th overall pick. In college, he was a well-rounded player who could hit for power, steal bases, and had a chance to stick at SS.

However, pro ball has not been kind to Eierman, who has posted a .224/.281/.368 in his career. But the tools are still there, including his above-average power, foot speed, and plus arm. He is a good athlete and has more than enough arm to handle shortstop, though a move to third could be in his future.

The move to third would put more stress on his bat to develop. But the Mariners have a big hole in their farm system at shortstop and betting on Eierman’s talent isn’t a bad idea.

Ty’s pick: OF Luis Barrera

The Mariners have a ton of exciting outfield prospects in their system already, but Jerry Dipoto has a type. If an outfield prospect with above-average speed and athleticism is on the table, he’ll surely grab Dipoto’s attention. In this case, that would be 23-year-old Luis Barrera.

Of all the outfield prospects the Mariners currently have in-house, none are surefire center fielders in the MLB outside of Braden Bishop. Jarred Kelenic and Dom Thompson-Williams are the two most likely to stick in center, but neither has cemented the position in their profile.

Barrera isn’t likely to win any Gold Gloves in center, but he has the tools to be an above-average everyday player out there. That is if the bat can produce in the majors. If not, he’s likely destined to be a fringe major leaguer or a fourth/fifth outfielder.

He has little-to-no over-the-wall power, but his gap-to-gap potential has shone through after an underwhelming 2017 campaign. Barrera has elite speed, though he hasn’t put up elite stolen base numbers thus far in his pro career. He’s also shown the ability to work counts on occasion, hovering around a 9% walk-rate while striking out at a ~15% clip most seasons.

Barrera got off to a hot start this season with Double-A Midland before landing on the Injured List with an undisclosed injury. In 13 games, he hit .298/.365/.574 with two home runs, eight RBIs, and one steal.

Barrera’s profile feels very familiar for the Mariners, and that’s why he jumped off the page to me as someone who makes a lot of sense for them. There isn’t really a current Mariners prospect or player who directly compares to Barrera, though he does have a little Mallex Smith in him—much better defender, though.

Texas Rangers

Colby’s pick: UTL Eli White

Finally, we have reached a team that is in the most similar situation to the Mariners, the Texas Rangers. Not really committing to a full-scale rebuild, the Rangers have a veteran-heavy team but also has the solid, young pieces to trade depending on which direction they want to go.

For this farm system, the name I have zeroed in on is Eli White, an infielder with an opportunity to be an everyday utility man. White, who was acquired in the Jurickson Profar trade, has an interesting set of tools to work with.

He is an above-average hitter, though he has little home run power. He takes walks, hits a lot of line drives, and uses the whole field. He also has above-average speed, arm, and defensive abilities. He reminds some of former Mariners prospect Chris Taylor, except White has flashed the type of upside in the past.

He reminds me more of Ben Zobrist and should be able to handle any position on the diamond. His best spot is probably second base but won’t kill you at any position. White’s versatility and a solid approach at the plate make him an exciting option for whoever he plays for.

Ty’s pick: C Sam Huff

Sam Huff is a massive dude. At 6’4″, 230 pounds, Huff is one of the bigger catchers in the game of baseball right now, which has brought up questions about if he can actually make it at the position. For now, Huff has kept these concerns at bay, for the most part, showcasing above-average framing and throwing mechanics.

Life in professional baseball was tough on Huff in his first two-and-a-half years in the Rangers’ system. Last year, Huff slashed an abysmal .242/.292/.439 line with a 31.3% strikeout rate at just the Low-A level. Still, his massive build and athleticism have kept his outlook fairly optimistic, and he’s certainly making a name for himself thus far in 2019.

Through 29 games at Low-A Hickory, Huff has already hit 14 (!!!) home runs with 27 RBIs, slashing an outrageous .317/.355/.769—good enough for a 218 wRC+. Defensively, Huff has caught 13 of 22 steal attempts and has looked well improved in all facets of catching, though he’s only seen 14 games of action at the position.

The strikeouts are still an issue, as Huff currently sits at a career-high 33.6% rate. Considering he’s never seen this kind of success at the plate before and is likely bound to regress to some degree, the consistency of his strikeout woes won’t be overlooked, especially when they’ve come at such a low level in the minors. If the defense is still an issue in addition to the strikeouts, Huff’s production likely won’t raise his stock very far.

Huff makes a lot of sense for what the Mariners have looked for and what they need. Seattle is paper thin at the catching position behind Cal Raleigh in their farm system. Huff is similar to Raleigh in the sense that both may wind up at first base rather than catcher, though the former is well ahead of the latter defensively. At the very least, Huff has done enough to be given a look at catcher as he climbs the minor league ranks.

As we continue our series across the rest of the divisions in baseball, remember that these are prospects we like and think could be traded this summer. We would love to trade for Vlad Guerrero Jr., but it isn’t going to happen.

The Mariners will undoubtedly be busy this summer, so just file a few of these names in the back of your mind.