Analyzing Every Seattle Mariners Jerry Dipoto Trade: 2015-16 Edition

Seattle Mariners December 2015

To Seattle: Steve Clevenger

To Baltimore: C.J. Riefenhauser, Mark Trumbo

Yikes. Trumbo didn’t fit into Jerry Dipoto’s plans either, but he proceeded to 47 home runs the following year in Baltimore. Clevenger wasn’t any good on the field, and then proceeded to come under fire for racist comments which led to his suspension and subsequent release. Riefenhauser never appeared for either team.

To Seattle: Ryne Harper

To Atlanta: Jose Ramirez

Ramirez had two solid years for Atlanta, after a brief stint in Seattle (phew, it’s not THE JOSE RAMIREZ). Harper was in the Seattle Mariners system for a couple of years, and did get promoted at one point but never made an appearance with the club.

He’s actually turned into a solid reliever though for Minnesota and Washington, but this trade wasn’t a particularly impactful one to the Seattle Mariners.

To Seattle: Jonathan Aro, Wade Miley

To Boston: Carson Smith, Roenis Elias

At the time, this trade was met with intense backlash. Smith was a rising star in the bullpen and Elias had flashed solid potential as a starter. Miley was established at the time but had never exactly been an ace.

The Seattle Mariners didn’t get a ton out of this deal, with just 19 starts from Miley and one appearance from Aro, but Smith never reached his potential due to lingering issues and Elias ended up back in Seattle twice. At the end of the day, it was a solid enough deal for Jerry Dipoto.

To Seattle: Evan Scribner

To Oakland: Trey Cochran-Gill

Cochran-Gill never made it above AA and is currently pitching in independent ball while Scribner appeared in 20 games for the Mariners with a 3.80 ERA. Not a hugely impactful deal on either side, but the M’s at least got something out of Scribner.

To Seattle: Adam Lind

To Milwaukee: Carlos Herrera, Daniel Missaki, Freddy Peralta

The Mariners got essentially what they expected in Lind, as he hit 20 home runs and slashed .239/.286./.431 in his lone year in Seattle. Missaki never pitched in the Brewers organization and Herrera never made it above A-ball. But boy oh boy did the Mariners make a mistake with Peralta.

The 25-year old righty has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year, boasting a 2.79 FIP and a 2.4 WAR, placing him 13th in the league as he is likely headed to Colorado for the All-Star game in a couple of weeks. With the Seattle Mariners rotation ravaged by injuries this season, this one stings just a little bit extra than it already would have.

To Seattle: Cash

To Los Angeles: Tyler Olson

Olson was a Gonzaga product that never pitched for the Dodgers, but did end up appearing in another 113 games with the Yankees and Indians, including a dominant 2017 in which he didn’t yield a run in 30 appearances.

Considering the Mariners got nothing of substance in return, they maybe wish they had kept the southpaw reliever. Now, onto the months leading up to the trade deadline.

Seattle Mariners 2016 Season Pre-Trade Deadline:

To Seattle: Joe Wieland

To Los Angeles: Erick Mejia

Mejia has actually appeared in 17 games with the Royals, but without much to show for it. Wieland made all of one unimpressive start for the Mariners in 2016, and that was that.

To Seattle: Nick Vincent

To San Diego: Cash

Vincent became a legitimate middle-relief option for the Mariners, even serving in the setup role at times in a solid three-year stint with the Mariners. He was also a workhorse out of the pen, appearing in 191 games and providing some stability when the team needed it.

The trade didn’t cost the Mariners much of anything either, so it is fair to say it was worth the small price.

To Seattle: Zach Lee

To Los Angeles: Chris Taylor

Well, we all knew this one was coming. At the time, it really wasn’t even that bad of a trade. Chris Taylor didn’t appear to have much promise left at almost 26 years old and seemed headed to irrelevancy sooner rather than later.

But the trade to the Dodgers jumpstarted his career after making some batting stance adjustments, and he’s become an everyday player for the World Champs. Lee never appeared for the Mariners and left every Seattle fan wondering what could have been.

To Seattle: Wade LeBlanc

To Toronto: Cash

The first of LeBlanc’s stints in Seattle, he was effective both from the bullpen and in the rotation and quickly became a fan favorite in Seattle, ending up back in Seattle multiple times. As a general rule. if the team gave up cash to bring in a player of any caliber, they probably won the trade. Considering they actually got production from LeBlanc, it’s safe to say the Mariners did well here.

To Seattle: Dan Vogelbach, Paul Blackburn

To Chicago: Mike Montgomery, Jordan Pries

This is another tough deal to analyze. On one hand, Montgomery was a quality and versatile arm, and the Mariners had to watch him record the final out of the World Series in 2017.

But on the other hand, Vogelbach hit 30 bombs and was an All-Star for the M’s in 2019. Both teams got value out of this deal, so in some ways, it’s kind of a wash. Although the Cubs will probably take the World Series win over the All-Star nominee.

To Seattle: Drew Storen

To Toronto: Joaquin Benoit

This was simply a veteran reliever for veteran reliever swap and it generally worked out for both parties. Benoit was brilliant in Toronto, and Storen was solid in the back end of the bullpen for the Mariners as well. Not much “wow” factor, but an effective deal for the M’s.

To Seattle: Ariel Miranda

To Baltimore: Wade Miley

Miranda was a relative unknown who became a decent back-end starter for the Mariners over 43 appearances, including posting a 3.54 ERA after the team acquired him.

Miley struggled in Baltimore, but has since continued to find homes around the league. Finding a quality, cheap starter is always a luxury and Seattle did exactly that with Miranda in this deal. Lastly, the post trade deadline months.

Seattle Mariners 2016 Post Trade Deadline:

To Seattle: Arquimedes Caminero

To Pittsburgh: Pedro Vasquez, Jake Brentz

Caminero was a flamethrower that was relatively effective in a brief stint with the team in 2016. Vasquez reached Triple-A with the Pirates, but the real loss in this deal is Brentz.

While his underlying numbers aren’t stellar, he’s posted a 2.52 ERA in 30 games with the Kansas City Royals. His command can be iffy at times, but he’s proven to be an effective bullpen piece, something the Mariners could use at the moment.

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To Seattle: Pat Venditte

To Toronto: PTBNL (Tim Lopes)

Venditte was unique as a switch-pitcher, but wasn’t particularly good in seven games with the Mariners. But the team ended up getting Lopes back in 2019, so they really didn’t lose much in hindsight.

To Seattle: Cash

To San Diego: Luis Sardinas

Sardinas actually hit well directly after the trade for the Padres, but hasn’t played in the bigs since 2018. The Mariners just got cash in return so this deal pretty much goes down as a largely irrelevant trade.

To Seattle: Ben Gamel

To New York: Jio Orozco, Juan De Paula

Orozco and De Paula have hung around the minors, but neither has done much in terms of making progress through the systems (De Paula is now in Toronto). Gamel on the other hand became a really solid outfielder for the Mariners and even led the American League in hitting in the later stages of July.

Orozco and De Paula seem like long shots to make it to the Show, so this one can be chalked up as a definitive trade victory for the M’s.

To Seattle: Cash

To Pittsburgh: Wade LeBlanc

The Mariners dealt LeBlanc for very little return in September, but LeBlanc wound up returning to Seattle the following season so it’s hard to dispute how the Mariners came out in this one.

To Seattle: Cash

To Atlanta: Joe Wieland

Wieland never pitched in the majors again after being traded, so it’s hard to really look at this one in any other way than being an irrelevant September deal.

What do you think of all of these trades? Definitely not Jerry Dipoto’s best year as the Seattle Mariners GM. Stay tuned for more analyses on the moves Jerry Dipoto has made.