Mariners: What if the Cincinnati Reds want Dylan Moore?

Don’t worry, there are no rumors surrounding the departure of Dylan Moore and this article is more of a shower thought more than anything. But, it is an interesting thought, because the Cincinnati Reds are in search of a shortstop and the Mariners swiss army knife is more than capable of playing at short.

The Cincinnati Reds were considering the top shortstops on the free-agent market, but they are all off the board now. MLB Trade Rumors says they now have Amed Rosario, Willy Adames, and Dee Strange-Gordon on their radar.

Rosario and Adames would require a significant return, but they are somewhat available. Cleveland received both Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario in the trade involving Francisco Lindor. Both play shortstop so Cleveland may be willing to part ways with Rosario, which would open up the starting spot for Gimenez.

The same goes for Willy Adames because MLB’s No. 1 prospect Wander Franco is looming in the shadows. But, he is the current starter until Franco is ready, so it would need to be an enticing return for the Rays.

What if the Reds inquire about Dylan Moore?

From my perspective, there are only a handful of people that are untouchable by opposing teams. Dylan Moore is not one of them. My answer would be different if Moore were 25-years old, but he is 28 and will turn 29 in August.

It’s not like Moore can’t be a part of the Mariners’ next wave of talent, but who knows what will happen in the next couple of years. He has only had one good regular season in his career. Although Seattle has control of him until 2025, his value might be at the highest now.

I will say that Dylan is valuable to Seattle because he is so versatile on defense, which helps Scott Servais move things around to give everyone ample playing time.

Although it is a simple analysis, I think you get the basis of my thinking. It is very similar to the reason why we traded Austin Nola. The Mariners should be open to trading him if the opportunity arises, but they should not actively shop him to other teams.

What type of return would the Mariners get for Dylan Moore?

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Dylan Moore is no Jarred Kelenic, but he could get Seattle some middle-tier prospects. Moore’s 1.8 WAR and .255 batting average was a big surprise to many. He played more than 100 games in 2019, but was lackluster, to say the least.

With his huge improvement, Baseball Trade Values give him a value of 11.2. To provide some context, Marco Gonzales is valued at 37.1, J.P. Crawford is valued at 27.6, Ty France is valued at 11.7, and Tom Murphy is valued at 8.9. I think Moore’s value of 11.2 makes a lot of sense.

The Cincinnati Reds don’t have the best farm system right now. They have four prospects on the most updated MLB’s Top 100 Prospects list. But, none are in the Top 50.

Nick Lodolo #59 Trade Value: 11.7

Hunter Greene #71 – Trade Value: 11.8

Austin Hendrick #86 – Trade Value: 17.7

Tyler Stephenson #95 – Trade Value: 20.6

What’s interesting is the valuation increases as you go down the list. Although Lodolo is in the same ballpark as Moore’s valuation, I highly doubt the Reds would be willing to give him or Hunter Greene up.

Now, I could see the Reds doing something like this:

Rece Hinds is the 9th ranked prospect in the Reds organization and was their 2nd round pick in the 2019 draft. Hinds graduated from the IMG Academy in 2019 and injured his quad so he barely played during his first year as a pro. He is a 6’4″ third baseman that is 20-years-old and would likely debut in 2023.

Riley O’Brien might be a familiar name because he graduated from Shorewood High School. Notable alumni include Blake Snell and Ian Oxnevad, who was drafted in the 8th round of the 2015 MLB draft.

Although O’Brien is the 15th ranked prospect in the organization, he can touch 97mph and has good breaking pitches to go with it. O’Brien pitched in Double-A in 2019, and is nearly ready to pitch at the big-league level.

Lastly, Mac Wainwright tops off the trade package. He is the 30th ranked prospect in the organization and is expected to debut in 2024. The 6’1″ outfielder was the 4th round selection by the Reds in 2020, so he hasn’t accumulated any minor league stats yet.

At the moment, there are no signs of Dylan Moore leaving. But, if a team like the Reds give Jerry Dipoto a call, there is a conversation to be had. As much as I love Dylan Moore, a trade like this makes sense for the Mariners as we wait on some of our top prospects to arrive.