Seattle Mariners: 5 prospects who could be traded this offseason

Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto is known for making trades. But as he now looks to help the team compete, will he start trading prospects for stars? If he does, here are the 5 guys most likely to be in deals this winter.

It has been heavily publicized and we have mentioned it what feels like a hundred times here on Sodo Mojo, but Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto says that they will be signing players and making moves to compete in 2021. This was extremely exciting news for Mariners fans and added to last year’s encouraging performances, there is a lot to be excited about with this young Mariners group.

Dipoto has made many trades during his tenure to help the Mariners compete, but recently all of the trades have been to help the Mariners rebuild. However, as the team looks to compete for next year and many of the next years in the future, how will they get there?

Obviously, the three young award winners, Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis as well as Gold Glovers Evan White and JP Crawford, are exciting players with bright futures. Seattle also has pitching prospects like Justus Sheffield and Logan Gilbert, and hitting prospects Jarred Kelenic and Taylor Trammell.

While all of these players will help the Mariners compete now, there are also a handful more like George Kirby and Julio Rodriguez who will be up in a few years and could be future award winners as well.

But if the Mariners are to compete now, they are certainly going to make trades involving prospects. So, who could be included in these trades? There are players who are undoubtedly untouchable like Kelenic and Rodriguez, but there are also 5 guys who for different reasons could be more likely to be out the door if the opportunity to acquire a quality MLB player arises.

Justin Dunn

Justin Dunn came to Seattle in the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz/Jarred Kelenic trade. At the time Dunn looked like he could be the centerpiece of the return that the Mariners got, as he was the highest-ranked pitching prospect in the Mets system and was more MLB ready than Kelenic. However, Kelenic has totally taken that from Dunn as he is now a top ten prospect for all of the MLB.

Dunn has performed well so far in his major league career. In two shortened seasons due to the COVID pandemic as well as making his debut in September of 2019, Dunn has a 4.13 ERA in 14 games started and had two 6 inning shutouts in August of this year.

The problem for Dunn, and the reason he could be on the trade block, is when you get deeper into the analytics it’s not pretty. He has a horrible Baseball Savant page that has his best statistic as xBA, where he is only in the 44th percentile compared to other MLB pitchers. Dunn also has a career 6.44 FIP, which is well over his ERA. Another reason he could be on the block is the depth of pitching prospects the Mariners have, which could force Dunn into a bullpen role if he stays with Seattle.

Jake Fraley

Just like Justin Dunn, Jake Fraley came over in one of the trades in 2018 that sent the Mariners into their current rebuild. Fraley came over from the Rays in the Mike Zunino trade and was outstanding in his first year in the Mariners system.

He had never played above single-A in the Rays system, but in AA and AAA in 2019 Fraley hit a combined .298 with 19 home runs, a .910 OPS, in 427 plate appearances across the two leagues. This earned Fraley a callup to the majors in 2019 where he was disappointing. In 41 plate appearances, Fraley hit .150 with a .371 OPS, and in just 12 games played he had a -0.4 defensive WAR.

He was called up again in 2020 but in just 7 games he had a .511 OPS. Fraley can clearly hit in the minors and has some power, so he has the potential to figure it out in the majors. However, he might be best suited for a change of scenery and somewhere where he could play regularly in the lineup.

The Mariners outfield currently, and in the future, is too crowded for Fraley to fit into the equation, so he could be the odd man out and be on the move if the Mariners were to make a trade with a team that Fraley could play regularly for. He’s just 25 years old and is the Mariners 9th ranked prospect on MLB.com, so he could be a valuable piece in a trade.

Noelvi Marte

Marte is just 19 years old and is ranked as the Mariners #7 prospect on MLB.com. He only has one season of statistics as he was 17 in 2019 and then there was no minor league season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In that one season which was in the Dominican summer league, Marte hit .309 with 9 home runs and an .883 OPS in 299 plate appearances. His MLB.com prospect ratings are 50 for contact, 55 power, 50 fielding, and 55 arm. None of that jumps off the page but he is certainly a solid all-around prospect.

He has the potential to be a decent hitter and sold fielder and because of his good arm he could play third base if the Mariners wanted to partner him with JP Crawford on the left side of the infield. However, with JP Crawford looking like the shortstop of the future it could make sense to trade Noelvi Marte.

He is not projected to be up in the majors until at least 2023, and after losing a full season of minor league baseball it could be longer. So, if the Mariners get into a win-now mode Marte could be out of the door in favor of the present instead of the future.

Taylor Trammell

Taylor Trammell was just recently acquired in the trade that sent Austin Nola to the Padres and Trammell was the major piece in the return that the Mariners received. At 23 years of age, Trammell is the 51st ranked prospect in the MLB on MLB.com and the 5th ranked prospect in the Mariners stacked farm system.

Trammell is a great all-around outfield prospect, as he can hit, has decent power potential, decent defense, and terrific speed as he has a 75% success rate on stolen bases in the minors on 110 attempts.

Trammell was very impressive on offense in his first couple of years in the minors in the Reds system, winning the MLB Futures Game MVP in 2018, but in AA in 2019 he only had a .689 OPS. One of his major problems is that he is a heavy pull hitter as a lefty which will take hits away since the defense can shift.

Scouts still believe that he has power potential in his swing and he has a record of getting on base. So, if he can figure out his hitting, his athleticism could make him an All-Star outfielder. But, if the Mariners are looking to acquire a star in a trade, Trammell will be the big prospect at the top of the list of who they are willing to move.

Since Mariners fans have a fondness for Kelenic and Rodriguez, and Trammell has not hit in the minors like those two, if the Mariners make a big trade sending prospects the other way I expect Trammell to be in it.