What Mariners fans can learn from a trade they weren’t involved in

The biggest and most important trade chip remaining for the Mariners is outfielder Mitch Haniger. And while there hasn’t been a lot of news surrounding him, a recent trade may set the market going forward.

Late last night, the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays made an interesting trade that was so easy to draw a comparison for a Mariners trade of Mitch Haniger, it was likely the first thought that came to people’s mind.

The deal sent Tommy Pham and Jake Cronenworth to San Diego for Hunter Renfroe and Xavier Edwards. Both Pham and Renfroe are right-handed outfield bats who are somehow right in the middle of what Haniger is.

When you compare Haniger to Pham, you see a similar offensive profile. Pham is a career .277/.373/.472 hitter, while Haniger is a .267/.348/.480. But Haniger is 2-years younger, has more club control, is making less money, and is a better defender.

Haniger is not as good of a defender as Hunter Renfroe, but is a better bat, posting a batting average 30 points higher as well as a +50 point edge in OBP. What makes this deal so fascinating to Mariners fans is that both sides of the spectrum can be explored.

Haniger can be comped to both Renfroe and Pham, though he is almost certainly closer to Pham than Renfroe. Either side of this deal is a good comp for a Haniger deal. Think of it this way: would you be okay with the Mariners trading Haniger for Pham and Cronenworth? What about Haniger for Renfroe and Edwards? Maybe you prefer one or the other, but they are at least in the ballpark.

This fun trade should present the least acceptable outcome from a Haniger trade and illustrates the value Haniger should have on the open market.

Now, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto may disagree about the comparisons some teams will draw to a Haniger deal and that is okay. But it is a good place to start. And using this trade as a guideline, it helps us understand what Seattle could reasonably expect if they did deal Haniger.