The Reds say that’s not enough and they want hitting help, so the Seattle Mariners counter with…
If the Cincinnati Reds say that the previous offer is not enough and want a hitter to replace Castellanos, who was one of the lone bright spots on the worst hitting team in the league last season, the Mariners will have to offer Mitch Haniger.
However, instead of giving the Reds Justin Dunn as an MLB ready replacement for Gray, they give the Reds the slightly less valuable Nick Margevicius. Margevicius is an interesting young lefty but similar to Dunn, he probably will not have a spot in the Seattle rotation in the future.
The Reds will also send the Mariners $3 million to help pay for Sonny Gray’s $1 million bonus that he gets for being traded, and Nick Castellanos’ 2024 $2 million buyout. Unlike the previous trade, Baseball Trade Values accepts this trade as the value is fair from both sides with the Reds putting in the $3 million.
It would be hard to imagine that Jerry Dipoto would do this trade, but the Mariners should have the budget to take on the salaries of Gray and Castellanos and the current Reds right fielder would be a fine replacement for Haniger.