Seattle Mariners: 5 bold trade ideas for this offseason

As the Seattle Mariners look to compete in 2021 they still need some help on their roster. Here are five blockbuster trade ideas that could help the Mariners to their first playoff appearance since 2001.

The Seattle Mariners are in a weird spot heading into the 2021 season. While “The plan” seems to be working as the Mariners have traded their way to having one of the best farm systems in baseball and a great young core in the majors, they might just be able to compete a few years before they expected to be able to.

Seattle finished the short 2020 season with a record of 19-14 in their last 33 games. Their lineup, if unchanged going into 2021, does not feature much star power aside from Kyle Lewis and Kyle Seager, but does have a solid player for every position.

“Our goal will be to go out there and contend for a playoff spot. And I don’t think that’s an unrealistic goal.”

The major problem last year in Seattle was the bullpen which was the third-worst in the major leagues. Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto has made it known that the bullpen will be the main concern this offseason, and he also said, “Our goal will be to go out there and contend for a playoff spot. And I don’t think that’s an unrealistic goal.”

If the Mariners are to indeed contend for a playoff spot next season they will have to sign someone in free agency, Or, they could also make a blockbuster trade. Sadly, trading for a reliever won’t be a “blockbuster trade” but there are plenty of trades that Seattle can make to instantly boost them into the tier of “contenders” in 2021.

So here are 5 ideas of trades to help Seattle compete in 2021.

Seattle acquires Blake Snell for a mix of prospects and MLB starters

Rumors have started swirling that the Rays will listen to trades for Blake Snell. Even though Snell is the team’s ace, this is not an uncommon practice for a Rays team that has traded players like Chris Archer and Evan Longoria in the past.

Snell is still owed $39 million for 3 more years, which is an extremely team-friendly deal with Snell’s talent in the middle of his prime and will certainly make his value higher in trade talks. However, the Rays are a small market team who like I said, love selling high for prospects who are MLB ready or close to it.

While this would be a hefty load for Seattle to give up, it could end up benefiting both teams and would free up two 40 man roster spots for the Mariners. Justin Dunn would be a member of the Rays rotation next season and despite good numbers on the surface, his Statcast metrics for last year were horrendous. Tampa Bay could take a chance on tweaking Dunn’s mechanics to try and unlock his former top prospect stuff.

Trammell is the big piece of this deal as he is the 51st ranked prospect in all of the minor leagues according to MLB.com. This trade would mean 4 different teams in 2 years for Trammell as he was sent over to the Mariners from the Padres last season, after being traded to San Diego from Cincinnati.

The last piece of this deal is Juan Then, who the Mariners got from the Yankees in the Edwin Encarnacion trade. Then is Seattle’s 14th ranked prospect but has not had a season with an ERA over 2.98 across 3 different levels. He was also just added to the Mariners 40 man roster which shows the Mariner’s belief in the 20-year-old pitcher.

Seattle acquires the disappointing prospect, Miguel Andujar, from the New York Yankees for two players who could use a change of scenery

Miguel Andujar was all the rage in 2018 when he won the Yankees third base job and hit 27 home runs with an .855 OPS at age 23 and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. Since then he has been extremely disappointing for Yankees fans as his poor defense took him out of the lineup in favor of Gio Urshela, and his bat did not do him any favors with a .476 OPS in 114 plate appearances in 2019-2020. Andujar is also running out of chances as he only has one minor league option left after being sent down twice, which will also bring down his trade value.

The Mariners should take advantage and send over two prospects who could use a change of scenery as well. Jake Fraley is an excellent MLB ready defensive prospect who has not been able to get regular at-bats in the majors due to his poor hitting. While he most likely won’t ever be able to break into Seattle’s crowded outfield, the Yankees could take a chance on Fraley who has excellent hitting stats in the minors since they need depth outfielders.

Sam Carlson, who we profiled not too long ago here on Sodo Mojo, so far has had a tough road in the minor leagues. The 15th ranked prospect in the Mariners system, Carlson had not pitched since 2017 before this year’s Fall Instructional League. He had Tommy John surgery in 2018 which kept him out two years, and then with no minor leagues last year Carlson could not get an opportunity to pitch. Carlson fits the mold of this trade as a former 2nd round pick and is the third player in this trade that could thrive getting an opportunity in a new location.

Seattle acquires Sonny Gray in exchange for 2 unexpected trade pieces and a top prospect

As the Reds are set to lose 2020 Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer in free agency, you would think that they expect to head into 2021 with a still dominant top of the rotation of Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Reds will listen to offers for Sonny Gray.

Part of the reason for this has to be that the Reds have a major need for a contact bat, along with a shortstop and more pitching depth. The Reds made the playoffs last year but finished dead last in the MLB with a .212 team batting average and didn’t score a single run in their first-round playoff series vs. the Braves.

This is a perfect trade for both sides. For the Mariners, they acquire an excellent front of the rotation pitcher and only have to give up Ty France, who could have trouble finding a spot in Seattle, Yusei Kikuchi, who has been disappointing, and their third-best pitching prospect George Kirby.

France is just what the Reds need as he had a .305 batting average in 155 plate appearances last year and can fill their need for another infielder. Kikuchi offers the Reds flexibility of having a solid replacement for Gray that they could keep around and accept his 3-year contract option, or if his poor performance continues they can let him go after 2 years.

As for Kirby, he could end up being the odd man out in the future in Seattle with Marco Gonzales, Justus Sheffield, Justin Dunn, Emerson Hancock, and Logan Gilbert all ahead of him. Sending him in this deal to Cincinnati gives the Reds a quality potential top of the rotation pitcher, and does not really burn the Mariners despite him being ranked the 95th best prospect in the MLB.

Seattle acquires Wil Myers from a familiar trade partner the San Diego Padres

Last summer the Padres and Mariners agreed to a blockbuster trade that sent Seattle’s Austin Nola and other pieces to the Padres for Taylor Trammell and other pieces. Now that they are familiar trade partners, why don’t they discuss Wil Myers?

Myers has been one of the more talked about players when it comes to trades over the past few years, and the rumors only got stronger last year after he had a great 2020. In 218 plate appearances, Myers hit 15 home runs and had a .959 OPS. However, this did come after 5 straight seasons of slightly above-average offense and sub-par defense.

Myers’ trade value will not be that high since his best season was only 60 games long and his contract still has two years $40 million remaining on it. So for a trade to happen the Padres will have to pay for some of Myers’ remaining salary.

In the trade, they receive a quality depth piece, an area of need for the Padres, in Tim Lopes. In 279 MLB plate appearances, Lopes has a .678 OPS. His main selling point is his versatility and youth, as Lopes is still a prospect at age 26 with 5 years of team control and he has played second, third, left field, and right field in the majors.

The other player that the Padres will acquire is Jake Fraley who I discussed earlier. Fraley can be another depth piece in San Diego for the next 6 years and with his defense and offensive potential, he could break into the lineup in the future.

The other perfect aspect of this trade for the Mariners is that while their team salary is low for the next two years, they can pay Myers his high salary and then be okay watching him walk in 2023 since the hope is that Kyle Lewis, Jarred Kelenic, and Julio Rodriguez will be the starting outfield by then.