Mariners Rumors: Trading with the Twins for Michael Pineda

Most of us fans have heard by now that Jerry Dipoto is going to be looking for a starting pitcher to help the Mariners out at the deadline this year. What about bringing someone back who was here once before, giving the Minnesota Twins a call for Michael Pineda.

I’m starting to feel old, cause it has been a full ten years since Pineda was on the Mariners. His sole season with the team was back in 2011, when he made his lone All-Star game appearance, sporting a 3.74 ERA, 3.42 FIP, and 1.099 WHIP, with a 9.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.

Things were looking bright for Pineda. Unfortunately, the Mariners traded him for Jesus Montero. After an injury, Pineda found occasional success with the Yankees, before landing with the Twins. He’s been pretty good there, racking up a 3.92 ERA across 239 innings.

The Mariners could look to reunite with Michael Pineda.

Already 32, Pineda is going to be an unrestricted free agent after this season. With the Twins at 41-55, they’re open to selling on players who they have little future control over. Remember, the Twins were supposed to make the playoffs before the year started, with an O/U on wins somewhere around 90. This year is more than likely a funky blip, so unless they’re blown away, they won’t give up future value.

That’s why a hitter like Nelson Cruz or a pitcher like Michael Pineda would make sense. Neither are all that likely to re-sign in Minnesota and could bring back a bit of projected future value in a trade. It’s a win-win for whoever ends up getting them, as they get the player to help them push for the playoffs, and the Twins get better for future runs.

Trade values give Pineda a -0.2, but again, I’m going to have to disagree with that one. The market is high for starting pitchers. Plenty of teams are going to be asking about him. I’d grade him a bit lower than someone like Tyler Anderson, but still give him around a 2-3 value. It might be higher, but Pineda has struggled since June 1st, going just 21.2 innings in his five starts, amassing an ERA of 6.65. So, what could Seattle try and give up for Pineda?

Willians Astudillo is one of the coolest guys in baseball. Everyone can use catching depth and with the Mariners recent first-round pick of Harry Ford, it’s made Bins a bit expendable. He could fit into the Twins systems nicely, as they don’t have a catcher in their top 30 prospects.

In trading away Walton and Fletcher, the Twins would get another utility infielder. Walton has shown flashes this year, but I feel bad for him as he keeps getting moved around between AAA and the Mariners. With some injury concerns in Minnesota (Buxton, Kiriloff, Refsnyder, Garlick, Lewis) there could be a nice opportunity for the Twins to give Walton a chance. Fletcher would bolster their pitching, and could actually be a September call-up.

Keenan and McGovern would fit a longer-term look for the Twins. Neither are high-end guys and aren’t expected to make debuts for a few years. What it would do would improve their system as guys who are ready got called up late this year, or for the 2022 season.

None of these guys seem to be world-beaters. Then again, they shouldn’t be. Pineda has an injury history, there is worry about spin-rate reduction (remember the Yankee suspension?), and has the potential to only be a short-term rental. With the Twins out of the race, and the Mariners looking for a short-term pitcher, these would be the type of deals I could see the Mariners being willing to make for a pitcher of Pineda’s caliber, at least at this point of his career.

If Minnesota is up for trading Pineda, maybe we get the in from having Pineda in Seattle before. It has been a decade though, so that could be a moot point. With the Mariners looking to add a relatively cheap starter at the deadline, Michael Pineda could be one to watch for.