Mariners Rumors: Trading with the Twins for Jose Berrios and Nelson Cruz

The Mariners have had a better first half than anyone could’ve imagined given the circumstances of the injuries they have suffered this season. Just 3.5 games back of Oakland at the all-star break, they have a record of 48-43 and seem like they could legitimately make that turn into “buyer status”.

Before you yell at me “Don’t send off the top prospects”, don’t worry… actually, you might need to.  I’m not sending out any of the studs in the organization. In order to get a stud pitcher, you are going to need to send out something good. This is why we are going to take a look at what the Mariners would need to give up in order to get Jose Berrios and Nelson Cruz, together, from the Minnesota Twins.

If any of you think Berrios might be untouchable, that isn’t the case either. The fine folks at Puckettspond.com let us know, that if the Mariners sent them a good enough offer for Berrios, that he would indeed be available in a trade. Part of that comes from the fact that he is going to be a UFA after the 2022 season, which means that he will be eligible for ARB 3 after the 2021 season.

The Mariners could get a legit top of rotation player in Berrios, and if Cruz really is immortal, he could be a fantastic offensive addition to the team. Let’s get started with a major league talent swap.

Mariners Trade 1: MLB Talent Swap

Now, I know that the Twins may not have the biggest need for Haniger, but it does give them an outfielder that is under control, who is hitting very well this year. He’s sitting at .257/.311/.487, with 20 homers and 16 doubles. If not for the foul ball off the knee, he would be doing even better than that.

I mentioned Puckett’s Pond earlier, and they let us know that Haniger might not be realistic as a want/need because “Larnach, Kepler, and Kirilloff in the corners and Arraez, Donaldson, and Polanco all fighting for playing time.” Hear me out. He’s younger than his age because of the weird injury history and could provide a fill-in for Cruz at the DH spot, while spelling outfielders when need be.

He’s a good clubhouse guy, and could even become great trade bait next year if need be. If they need a new position due to outfield overabundance, he could help. Or, he provides insurance for the next time Byron Buxton inevitably gets hurt, unfortunately.

With Dunn, you get someone who can take a spot in the rotation instantly. He was at a 3.18 ERA before getting injured and trying to make two more starts through the shoulder pain. At just 25, he still is under control through 2025! That’s a lot of control and gives him better value than you would realize at first glance.

Mariners Trade 3: Sending out Prospects

If the Twins were one of the teams that were projected to have 70 wins, and no one thought would be a contender for a while, this would be a great trade. Most think that 2021 was a one-year blip, so they wouldn’t be looking for longer-term builds in anyone they would be receiving in a trade.

Hear me out.

Michael Limoncelli is only 21 and gives the Twins a 25-30 ranked prospect for their system. Having too many young arms is never a bad thing.

Milkar Perez could be your plan to replace Josh Donaldson at third base down the line since he is signed through 2024. He’s not expected up until then anyway and would be a worthwhile piece to try and input when the time comes. According to MLB.com, he’s 14th in Seattle’s rankings, and would likely jump to 6-10 for the Twins.

Isaiah Campbell is the 10th ranked prospect, and Phillips is 9th. You wanna change one of them out for Juan Then? Fine. I don’t think you are realistically getting anyone else in the top eight unless it’s a two prospect deal like the one for Kirby and Adcock. They both likely fit in between Duran and Canterino for the Twins, and give them great future starting pitching potential between those four and Balazovic.

It would save the Twins a lot of money as well, getting off of Cruz a bit early, and avoiding Arb 3 and any deal with Berrios. I’m not saying the Twins need to save money, but if there are any free agents or other deals that want to make, it would clear up the available space for that.

What do you think? Should the Mariners even go after Berrios/Cruz? Berrios won’t be cheap, but he could be a great veteran to add to the team. With a few weeks left until the deadline, it will be interesting to continue to monitor the Mariners to see what they do.