3 small trades for hitters the Seattle Mariners should make right now

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 03: Nick Martini #38 of the Oakland Athletics reacts after being struck out by Luis Severino #40 of the New York Yankees during the first inning in the American League Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium on October 03, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

This is less about the future of the Mariners and more about getting Mac Williamson the hell out of T-Mobile Park. Williamson has made a bad team even more of a chore to watch over the last month and his impending departure is way past due. But we don’t know when exactly Mitch Haniger will return, or if Braden Bishop can make it back this season, and the Mariners seem unwilling to let Jake Fraley seize an opportunity while it’s there.

By the time Haniger gets back and Fraley is deemed ready by the powers that be, it’s possible Domingo Santana and/or Mallex Smith are no longer Seattle Mariners. In the case, instead of forcing me to watch another Williamson at-bat, why not bring in a veteran outfielder who’s succeeded at the highest level but just has no place to go within his current organization?

That would be Nick Martini, who burst onto the scene last year amidst the Athletics’ historic turnaround. Martini suffered a knee injury early on in Spring Training and was shut down until the second week of May. In that time, it appears the A’s have moved on from the 29-year-old, despite his absolute destruction of the PCL over the last three months.

It’s honestly rather strange, especially considering that Stephen Piscotty just went on the Injured List and Martini wasn’t called up in his place. Martini posted a 1.3 fWAR in 55 games last year, and while he doesn’t provide significant power and is pushing 30, he’s an on-base machine with average corner outfield defense.

While Martini almost certainly would not be a part of the Mariners’ plans past 2020, they can give him an opportunity to actually play at the MLB level every day and perhaps build some future trade value for the winter. Remember, this deadline is about setting Dipoto up for an important offseason, and perhaps stealing away a quality veteran for almost nothing and capitalizing on his potential success with a chance to be back in the bigs is the kind of upside play he should be chomping at the bit to make.

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