Seattle Mariners: If Marco Gonzales is traded, what’s the return?

First things first, I DO NOT WANT MARCO GONZALES TRADED!!!! Do I think the Seattle Mariners will trade him? Probably not.

Is he untouchable? I am not sure.

Why am I writing about a Marco trade? Because a reporter mentioned his name.

This tweet definitely caught my eye and frightened me. Marco was a stud last year so it is almost outrageous to think that Jerry Dipoto would be shipping him off. But if you take a step back, it seems somewhat realistic. Let me explain…

Marco Gonzales is 28-years-old and will be 29 in mid-February. There is no doubt that he has talent, but Dipoto talked about the impact of 2020. Minor league seasons were canceled, so many prospects might need more time to develop, hence a longer wait for Mariners fans… sorry.

I am not saying Gonzales is too old and won’t be apart of the Mariners’ future, but it is a possibility.

The Blue Jays have been extremely busy and are making an enormous effort to improve its teams, much like the Mets, Padres, and White Sox. Toronto just signed George Springer to a 6-year deal, one of the hottest commodities on the free-agent market.

The Blue Jays offense is looking dangerous, but they still need to improve its pitchings staff. Their starting pitching is thin. Honestly, the Mariners might even have a better rotation, so they really need someone of Marco’s caliber.

If the Seattle Mariners traded Marco Gonzales, what could we get in return? Trade idea No. 1:

On Baseball Trade Values, Marco Gonzales’ value is set at 37.1, which is the third-highest on the Seattle Mariners roster. The Blue Jays have a lot of young talent in its lineup, including Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. but I highly doubt they part ways with any of them.

Besides, if the Mariners are going to trade a star like Marco, we might as well be targeting the Blue Jays’ top prospects because of our timeline.

Here is my first idea. Baseball Trade Values rates this as a fair trade, with the Blue Jays slightly giving up too much. The breakdown, Simeon Woods Richardson (19.8), Alek Manoah (12.4), Adam Kloffenstein (4.5), and Otto Lopez (2.8), which equals 39.50.

Woods Richardson is the Blue Jays’ 4th ranked prospect. He is also the 93rd prospect in the Top 100 (George Kirby is 95th). Woods Richardson was the second-round pick by the Mets in the 2018 draft and was sent to Toronto in exchange for Marcus Stroman.

He would be the centerpiece of the package and a really exciting pitching prospect with a low 90s fastball, a plus curveball, a sharp slider, an improved changeup, and excellent control of all his pitches. Woods Richardson is just 20-years-old, but MLB.com has his ETA for 2021. The right-hander has not pitched above High-A yet.

Alek Manoah is another top Blue Jays prospect. He is the 5th prospect in their organization, right behind Woods Richardson, and is another right-handed starting pitcher. He was drafted 11th overall in the 2019 draft and was the second pitcher off the draft board.

Manoah has a mid-90s fastball with a reliable slider and a solid changeup. The 6’6″ pitcher is 23-years-old and has had very little experience pitching professionally, so it will take him a little longer to reach the big leagues. He would be a nice complement to Woods Richardson for the Mariners.

And then the last two are Adam Kloffenstein (RHP) and Otto Lopez (SS). They are respectively the 10th and 13th ranked prospects in the Blue Jays organization. Kloffenstein has pitched extremely well in the minor leagues especially as a former third-round pick in 2018. He relies on his sinking two-seamer and great breaking balls.

Lopez was signed as an international free-agent back in 2016 and has had a great offensive minor league career. He won’t hit for a lot of pop now, but there could be more to come.

All in all, the Seattle Mariners could get some really good prospects from the Blue Jays for Marco Gonzales. The Blue Jays likely won’t give up their top three prospects: Nate Pearson, Austin Martin, or Jordan Groshans, but I think Woods Richardson HAS TO BE INVOLED if Marco is let go.

Trade Idea No. 2:

The Blue Jays also need to improve its bullpen. The team just signed Kirby Yates and Tyler Chatwood and the Mariners could help them out a little more in that department.

Baseball Trade Values calculates a 39.80 for 37.90 trade-off. The Mariners get a value of 39.80 from Woods Richardson, Manoah, and Hiraldo, while the Blue Jays receive a value of 37.90 for Gonzales, Brennan, and Swanson.

This would make sense for the Jays because they get a star pitcher that would slide right into the No. 2 or No.3 spot, with a couple of bullpen additions. Brandon Brennan has been one of the better Mariners relievers and could be an immediate impact for Toronto. Erik Swanson hasn’t quite figured things out yet, but he is still young.

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As far as the potential Seattle Mariners return, I included the two exciting Blue Jays prospects and then added Miguel Hiraldo instead of Kloffenstein and Lopez. Hiraldo is the 9th ranked Toronto prospect and is listed as a 2B/SS.

He was viewed as one of the best overall hitters in the 2017-18 international free-agent class as a 17-year-old. Hiraldo is now 20-years-old and has played well in the Toronto farm system. He still has a ways to go on both sides of the game and is expected to debut in 2022.

To put it all together, the Seattle Mariners could get a really good return for Marco Gonzales, which might have already been obvious. I am a huge fan of Marco and would hate to see him go, but we have to consider all of the options.

The Blue Jays are in “win-now” mode, so Jerry Dipoto could take advantage of their eagerness. Even if Marco Gonzales is deemed untouchable by Jerry Dipoto, the Mariners might be willing to send some support to Toronto in other ways.

Toronto’s third base situation is still a little unclear, so Kyle Seager may be an option. And as I mentioned earlier, the bullpen needs help on the northside so Brennan would be a good candidate.