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5 deals Seattle Mariners fans wish were April Fool’s Jokes

By Colby Patnode

DENVER, CO - JULY 25: Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies considers slamming his bat to the ground in frustration after flying out in the seventh inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field on July 25, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JULY 25: Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies considers slamming his bat to the ground in frustration after flying out in the seventh inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field on July 25, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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2. Mariners trade Shin-Soo Choo to Cleveland for Ben Broussard

PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 4: Shin-Soo Choo #61 of the Seattle Mariners misses a shot to right field during a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 4, 2005 at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix, Arizona. The Brewers defeated the Mariners 8-1. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 4: Shin-Soo Choo #61 of the Seattle Mariners misses a shot to right field during a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 4, 2005 at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix, Arizona. The Brewers defeated the Mariners 8-1. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

Would you look at that? Another Bill Bavasi decision? Honestly, I could have saved us all some time and just wrote two words and been done with this article. What is a decision the Mariners made that we wish was an April Fools Joke? Hiring Bill Bavasi. Done. End of article.

But we’ve come this far, so let’s finish it. In July of 2006, the Mariners shipped off a promising, young outfielder named Shin-Soo Choo to the Cleveland Indians for platoon first baseman Ben Broussard.

In 2006, the Seattle Mariners found themselves just 3 games back of a playoff spot despite being 3 games below-.500 entering the final week before the trade deadline. Instead of understanding the underlying numbers, Bavasi (or perhaps meddling Mariners ownership) decided it was enough for Seattle to buy at the deadline.

So Seattle shipped off one of it’s few talented youngsters to Cleveland for a part-time player. Choo almost immediately showed he was an everyday player with a great eye, strong arm, and emerging power. And over the course of his 15 season career, Choo has posted an impressive 34.5 bWAR and a .377 OBP.

Meanwhile, Broussard would play in 155 games for the Mariners and post a .311 OBP and be out of baseball entirely just one season later. Bavasi has already illustrated two massive no-nos for baseball GM’s in our last 2 slides. He drafted for need, not the best player available, and he traded a good prospect for a bench bat. Man, was Bavasi bad at this job or what? But unfortunately for him, our examination isn’t over yet.

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