10 Under the Radar Trade Targets for Mariners: 10-6

9. Eddie Rosario, OF Minnesota Twins

So right away, I’m guessing a few red flags ran through your mind. Undoubtedly, you are concerned about the already stacked Mariners outfield. You may also be wondering why the Twins would trade an intricate part of their AL Central winning club? Or perhaps you actually know Rosario’s 2019 wasn’t all that great?

Let’s talk about all those points, starting with the Mariners stacked outfield. Yes, the team needs to trade an outfielder or two, at least in theory. But there are two major “flaws” with that excuse. First, the Mariners have the most trade happy GM in the game and second, how much outfield depth does the team actually have?

Sure, they have a lot of names who play in the outfield, but what do we actually know about Domingo Santana‘s elbow injury? Are Jake Fraley and Braden Bishop everyday players? Who is the real Mallex Smith? Can Mitch Haniger overcome the lingering back issues?

So yes, they have a lot of outfielders, but aside from Mitch Haniger, how many do you trust can play 140 games at the big league level and succeed?

As for why the Twins may move Rosario, it’s pretty simple. They are a mid-market club with a restricted payroll. Rosario is scheduled to make roughly $9 million in arbitration this winter and will likely earn somewhere in the neighborhood of $12 million in 2021 before he hits free agency.

The Twins have 10 arbitration-eligible players and will surely need to make some moves this off-season. So, Rosario, who has just two years of club control remaining, coming off a mediocre season, is a pretty good candidate for a trade.

Speaking of Rosario’s mediocre season, he still posted a .276 BA, with an .800 OPS, 32 home runs, 109 RBI, and scored 91 runs. Unfortunately, his .300 OBP is about 25 points below-league-average and his defense took a sharp decline in 2019.

Still, Rosario is just 28-years-old and is one season removed from a .288/.323/.479 campaign that saw him play well in left field, post a 114 wRC+ and a 3.5 fWAR. Rosario would definitely raise the floor of the 2020 and 2021 teams and is still in his statistical prime. Sign me up.