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Mariners: Trades they could make to upgrade at First Base

By Christopher O'Day |
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 03: Mitch Haniger of the Seattle Mariners in action. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 03: Mitch Haniger of the Seattle Mariners in action. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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The Mariners are right around .500, with the trade deadline coming up at the end of July. It’s a difficult spot to be in, as it’s hard to figure out if they should be buyers or sellers. If they decide to be buyers, there are a few places they could look to upgrade.

For today, we are going to look at some trades that they could make at first base to improve the team. Yes, they are supposed to have Evan White, but he has both performed poorly and been injured… likely the former affected by the latter.

Jake Bauers has been good at first since he was picked up by the Mariners during the Tigers series but likely isn’t the long-term answer. He would be a great bench/fill-in guy, but when you look at his career up to this point, it’s hard to predict for him to continue this level of play. He is hitting .300 but has just one home run, two doubles, and two walks in 50 at-bats.

As we go around the league, we need to look for teams that fit into one or more of the following categories. They either need to be a team with a bad record, a player that is a short-term rental (making him easier to get), someone who has admitted to wanting out of their situation, or someone who is playing a bit worse than normal which could make them easier to get.

We are going to try and keep it a bit realistic by using the trade values over at baseballtradevalues.com and the simulator they have for trades there. Let’s dive into three potential trades that the Mariners could make at the trade deadline to improve their play at first base.

CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 14: Trey Mancini #16 of the Baltimore Orioles bats against the Cleveland Indians during the sixth inning at Progressive Field on June 14, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 14: Trey Mancini #16 of the Baltimore Orioles bats against the Cleveland Indians during the sixth inning at Progressive Field on June 14, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /

Trade Values – Mariners receive 20.7 – Orioles receive 18.1

It’s not that long ago that Mancini was away from baseball while fighting cancer. He came back at the start of the 2021 season, after missing an extended length of time, and has been doing incredible this year. Well, as incredible as you can on a team that is nearly 30 games under .500 just 75 games into the season.

He started off with 41 RBI through the first 46 games of the season before, like the rest of the Orioles, slowing down considerably. Well, other than Mullins.

If the Mariners were to go out and acquire Mancini, we should expect something closer to the bat that he was swinging at the beginning of the season. The Mariners have been doing a good job of getting on base over the last month and would be able to provide a fair amount of opportunities for someone like Mancini to take hold of a production spot in the lineup (3rd or 4th) and deliver on a regular basis.

In return, we send out Zach DeLoach and Justus Sheffield. The Orioles get a young pitcher that they can find the ceiling that was once attributed to being a top 35 prospect. They would also get DeLoach, who the Mariners are likely going to need to move anyway at some point as he sits outside the top group of current outfielders expected to compete for a spot on the team.

DENVER, CO – JUNE 15: Ryan McMahon #24 of the Colorado Rockies swings before hitting a sixth inning 2-run homerun against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on June 15, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – JUNE 15: Ryan McMahon #24 of the Colorado Rockies swings before hitting a sixth inning 2-run homerun against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on June 15, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Trade Values – Mariners receive 18.4 – Rockies receive 16.3

Ryan McMahon seems to fit the mold of the current Mariners team. They have put together a good amount of players that don’t fit into just one spot but can play at a bunch of positions. Ryan McMahon definitely fits that mold.

In his short time so far on the big league club in Colorado, he has played first, second, and third base. It’s not one of the cases of just sticking a guy in for a game or two somewhere because you need a body, but plugging him there because he has the talent to play all of those positions.

He’s got a bit of an old school looking slash line, as he is hitting .256/.308/.508 on the year. He doesn’t get on base a ton, but when you have 14 2B’s and 16 HR’s in 72 games, it more than makes up for it.

This is probably the more controversial of the three trades. Would the Mariners give up Trammell for a first baseman, when they have White signed to a deal already, and Bauers on the team? McMahon would provide a solid power bat into the middle of the lineup, and it’s hard to turn away a good average that can bring you 30+ home runs a year. Even taking a look at the home run tracker across parks, his power would translate well, to the tune of 29, 14, and 18 home runs.

MIAMI, FLORIDA – JUNE 13: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves bats against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on June 13, 2021 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA – JUNE 13: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves bats against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on June 13, 2021 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Trade Values – Mariners receive 37.9 – Braves 32.2 (argue for a swap of Dunn and Sheffields values, making this a value of 40.7.

Okay, I know it’s a bit far-fetched to expect the Braves to trade Freeman, the reigning MVP. Hear me out. He’s arguably having the worst season of his career, is doing it during a contract year, and is in the midst of his age 31 season. The combination of these COULD lead to them listening to offers for him.

We all know that the Braves love to stockpile pitching talent. Unfortunately, they have had some awful luck with injuries to said pitchers over the last few years. This year included.

We could send them Dunn, who has been having quite a good season, and they could place him directly into their rotation. Campbell would take a role in their AAA club most likely, and he could become a piece in the near future.

With the issues surrounding Marcell Ozuna, the Braves need a solid outfielder that they can rely on for good production. That’s where Haniger comes in. Yes, the Mariners would be giving up their best current outfielder, but they would instantly obtain one of the best hitters in baseball.

The biggest issue here would be a contract for Freeman. If you know that he would listen intently to an offer and consider staying in Seattle, you 100% would make a trade like this. Think of the potential Mariners lineup you could see.

  1. Crawford
  2. Fraley
  3. Freeman
  4. Lewis (when healthy)
  5. France
  6. Seager
  7. Trammell
  8. Murphy
  9. Moore

Yeah, let’s do that trade. Come on Dipoto. Make it happen.

Time will tell if Dipoto decides to buy, sell, hold, or a mix of both at the deadline. If you have any other semi-realistic trades you think the Mariners could go after at first base, let us know!

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