Seattle Mariners: Recap of Winter Meetings, how the moves affect the Mariners

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 29: Lance Lynn #35 of the Texas Rangers pitches against the Seattle Mariners in the top of the first inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on August 29, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 29: Lance Lynn #35 of the Texas Rangers pitches against the Seattle Mariners in the top of the first inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on August 29, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)
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A recap of the Winter Meetings and how all of the moves made affect the Seattle Mariners.

The 2020 MLB Winter Meetings have come and gone and were held successfully despite it being the first time that the meetings were held all virtually. Before Sunday, the first day of the five day long Winter Meetings, not much had happened in terms of trades and signings, but things got rolling with the winter meetings.

We also found out a few key pieces of news that should help the free-agent market start moving during the five days relating to whether or not the NL will have a DH next year as well as some foreign player postings.

The Mariners also made some moves of their own and selected a player in the Rule 5 Draft which happened on the last day of the Winter Meetings. So, now let’s get into what happened during the Winter Meetings starting with day one.

December 6

Los Angeles Angels sign Jake Faria

The division rival Angels signed former high ranking prospect Jake Faria to a minor league contract. This contract means two things for Seattle. First, the division-rival Angels have brought in a reliever who could be a key part of their bullpen. Second, Faria signing a minor league contract could send a signal about the market for relievers as he would have hoped to sign somewhere for an MLB deal but his poor recent performance and no appearances in 2020 led to him taking a minor league deal just a month and change into free agency.

CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 21: Raisel Iglesias #26 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park on September 21, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds won 6-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 21: Raisel Iglesias #26 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park on September 21, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds won 6-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

December 7

MLB says assume no universal DH

This was big news for the designated hitter market for guys like Nelson Cruz and Marcell Ozuna since now their value will go down as the list of teams interested in them will probably be cut in half. Fellow Sodo Mojo site expert Ryota Nishino broke this down in more detail to how it directly relates to the Mariners.

Rumor: Teams Told to Assume No Universal DH – How that Affects the Mariners. light. More

Reds trade Raisel Iglesias to the Angels

The Reds are cutting payroll and traded one of the best closers in the MLB to the division-rival Angels, so get ready to face Iglesias if the Mariners are facing the Angels. Sodo Mojo contributor Lee Vowell broke this down as well.

How the Seattle Mariners are affected by Angels trading for Raisel Iglesias. light. More

Tomoyuki Sugano posted

The excellent Japanese pitcher was made available for teams to contact. While I don’t envision the Mariners going after him, you always have to look out for other AL West teams when it comes to posted players in Japan.

Mariners claim Dugger, lose Hamilton and Lockett

Seattle claimed reliever Robert Dugger off of waivers from the Marlins but put Ian Hamilton and Walker Lockett on waivers and they were both claimed.

Rangers Trade Lance Lynn to White Sox

This was the deal of the Winter Meetings and was probably the transaction that affects the Mariners the most outside of their own transactions. The division rival Rangers, under new GM former Mariner Chris Young, made a smart rebuilding move trading Lance Lynn to the Rangers for one of their top prospects who now ranks 3rd in the Rangers system, Dane Dunning.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – JUNE 25: Chris Flexen #64 of the New York Mets throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on June 25, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JUNE 25: Chris Flexen #64 of the New York Mets throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on June 25, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

December 8

Giants sign Matt Wisler

The former Mariners reliever signed with the San Francisco Giants for 1 year $1.15 million.

White Sox sign Adam Eaton

CBS Sports had Adam Eaton as a possible Mariners signing in their offseason predictions. However, the White Sox have brought him back after 4 years in Washington D.C. Chicago signed him for 1 year $8 million, which is another price that the Mariners can look at for what the market is like this offseason.

Royals sign Carlos Santana

I had talked about Carlos Santana as a possible DH/Platoon first baseman for next season and him signing with the Royals for 2 years $17.5 million could be a sign that the market is at a normal value, it’s just going slower than normal.

December 9

Giants sign Dominic Leone

Another former Mariners reliever signs with the Giants.

Mariners sign Chris Flexen

This was the big move for the Mariners during the Winter Meetings. Sodo Mojo co-expert Ryota Nishino broke it down more and tried to make sense of the signing here:

More. Trying to make sense of the Mariners signing Chris Flexen. light

December 10

Rule 5 draft

The Rule 5 Draft happened. I talked about the Mariners picks here:

More. Mariners make 2 picks in the MLB Rule 5 draft, lose no prospects. light

Rays trade Nate Lowe to the Rangers

The Rangers are making moves for the future with new GM Chris Young and made another good move with the Tampa Bay Rays acquiring first baseman Nate Lowe for a prospect. Watch out for Dane Dunning in the Texas rotation next year and Nate Lowe to be the everyday first baseman when they play the Mariners for the next few years.

Next. 5 bold Mariners trade ideas for this offseason. dark

Phillies hire Dave Dombrowski as GM

The Phillies are having a rough offseason and hiring a GM, officially not even until the day after the Winter Meetings, is the chef’s kiss. This matters to the Mariners and former Mariners like Jean Segura, as the Phillies are expected to be trading and signing some big-name players, so watch out for Seattle in those trade talks.

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