Mariners Rumors: Trading with the Yankees for Jordan Montgomery

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 03: Jordan Montgomery #47 of the New York Yankees in action against the New York Mets during a game at Yankee Stadium on July 3, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 03: Jordan Montgomery #47 of the New York Yankees in action against the New York Mets during a game at Yankee Stadium on July 3, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY – JULY 03: Jordan Montgomery #47 of the New York Yankees in action against the New York Mets during a game at Yankee Stadium on July 3, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 03: Jordan Montgomery #47 of the New York Yankees in action against the New York Mets during a game at Yankee Stadium on July 3, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

The Mariners have had some trades in the past that ended up benefitting both teams. A few years ago, there was the famous Haniger/Segura for Marte/Walker trade. In advance of this year’s deadline, they could look to make another trade that would benefit both teams involved. This time, it would be with the Yankees for Jordan Montgomery.

I made sure to take a good look at trade values for this article, and all of these have similar values. You can make a good argument for all of them as well, regardless of the values. With both of those lining up, I think we found some trades that would work for each team, based on the context surrounding the trade.

What if the Mariners and Yankees could help each other out?

A lot of the trades that I have looked at so far have involved the Mariners going after players, solely on the purpose of becoming better in the short term. Not all of these are that way though, with one of them looking at keeping their window open for a longer period of time, instead of cracking it open a bit wider a season sooner.

Montgomery is a 28-year-old lefty, sporting a 4.18 ERA and a 3.72 FIP. I like Montgomery for the Mariners, in part because of how many home runs he gives up. Bring him into Seattle, and that number would likely go down. Pair that with the defense (while healthy) of Seattle, and you could have a much better second half by Montgomery for the Mariners.

We are going to look at a few trades here. One that would benefit the Yankees this year, one that would benefit the Mariners this year, and finally, the one that I think would benefit both teams this year.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 08: Jordan Montgomery #47 of the New York Yankees reacts after giving up a solo home run to Kyle Seager #15 of the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park on July 08, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 08: Jordan Montgomery #47 of the New York Yankees reacts after giving up a solo home run to Kyle Seager #15 of the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park on July 08, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Mariners Trade 1: A playoff push with Montgomery

Essentially, what the Mariners would be doing year is potentially taking off the latter part of their window being open, and opening it this year. Kirby is a top 100 prospect, and actually has very similar value to Montgomery. He’s five years younger and would give the Yankees a future mid-high rotation piece that they could use for years to come.

Macko becomes another potential piece that they could use down the line at some point, albeit with a lower ceiling and a window that is further away. What it does do, is give the Yankees more potential bullets for their rotation down the road.

Would the Yankees actually do this? Possibly. They’ve dealt with their fair share of injuries, which has hampered them a fair amount. If they traded away Montgomery, they could keep Severino on the IL a bit longer, making sure that he gets back to 100% as close as realistically possible. I’m no Yankee fan, but I still enjoy good pitching and would like to see him come back at the right time, instead of at a time when they might rush him because they need him.

It would also help the Yankees keep their top pitching prospect from being pushed into action too early. Who would that be? Well, that would be…

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 09: Mitch Haniger #17 of the Seattle Mariners laps the bases alongside Jared Walsh #20 of the Los Angeles Angels after hitting a grand slam. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 09: Mitch Haniger #17 of the Seattle Mariners laps the bases alongside Jared Walsh #20 of the Los Angeles Angels after hitting a grand slam. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Mariners Trade 2: Selling to the Yankees

Clarke Schmidt. He’s been on the IL for the Yankees, and they’ve been waiting on him to come back this season. However, if there is no longer a push for pitching, then you could make sure that he gets back to 100% health. If the Mariners decide to wait out this season and go for the playoffs in 2022, this could be the trade for them.

Schmidt becomes a great piece for the Mariners, especially if Paxton isn’t able to come back, or doesn’t come back for the Mariners. Schmidt/Dunn/Gilbert/Kikuchi/Flexen/Gonzales is a wonderful six-man rotation for the team, and that’s not even counting Sheffield or Hancock, possibly.

Josh Smith and Trevor Hauer both provide future infield depth for the Mariners, which is something that they need. Both of them have a bit of utility ability as well. Smith is sort of like Dylan Moore, with the ability to turn out a 20-20 season, but with a bit better hit tool. Hauer could be of the Willie Bloomquist/Mark McLemore type, where they can play about anywhere.

The Yankees, in turn, would get Haniger. He instantly would help them out in the outfield, providing another bat for them, and depth in the lineup. With control through the 2022 season, he is more than a short-term rental, giving them help throughout a minimum of 1.5 seasons.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 08: Jordan Montgomery #47 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 08, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 08: Jordan Montgomery #47 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 08, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Mariners Trade 3: Haniger for Montgomery

Okay. Hear me out. As long as Sheffield comes back, the Yankees get back their former top lefty prospect. They can put him into their rotation, admittedly taking a step back from Montgomery, but still getting a good lefty for their staff.

Then, they still get Haniger. I already mentioned that he could hop right into the outfield, providing needed relief to their injury-depleted group. For any Yankees fans out there, Haniger is hitting .266/.323/506, with 22 home runs and 17 doubles. With a strong second half, he could make a run at 40 home runs. Especially with that short porch in New York. No more wind-affected fly balls falling short of the fence, instead, you’d see a few more get knocked out of the park.

The Yankees get a piece they can use in their rotation and a great bat. The Mariners get a #3 for their rotation who could make a push at Gilbert/Kikuchi/Flexen for an ERA in the 3.50 range. The Mariners could finish out the year with Kikuchi/Flexen/Gilbert/Montgomery/Gonzalez, and Dunn still once he comes back. I don’t know about you, but I love the sounds of that. Especially when you realize that the preseason ace, Gonzalez, might actually be the number five.

Well, let me know what you think. Should either team go for any of these? They are in a similar spot right now, only a couple of games apart in the standings. Either team could decide to be a buyer or a seller. Or, in the case of the third trade, they could try and help each other out. One thing is for sure… Go #Mariners.

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