Mariners Trade Candidate #1: Jake Fraley
Jake Fraley started the year as a walking machine, with eight walks and one HBP through 19 PA. He would hurt his hammy, but pick up where he left off over the next 35 games. During that stretch, Fraley would hit .250/.392/.462, posting the second-highest walk rate in all of baseball.
He would go on the IL, and wasn’t the same when he came back. He was still walking a fair amount, but with a slash line of .180/.278/.290 over 38 games, it left a lot to be desired. His above-average defense (according to baseball reference) alongside the walks was what was able to keep him in the lineup.
2022 will be his age-27 season, and the Mariners (and us fans) need to ask themselves… which Jake Fraley are we going to see? Is it going to be the guy with a tremendous eye, a pretty good bat, and someone who provides a good mix of power and speed? Fraley had seven homers and six steals during that first 35 game stretch. Extrapolating it out over a full season is a bit of a stretch, but you can easily see Fraley hitting .245/.365/.425 with 20 homers and 20 steals.
I like Fraley a lot. He’s fun to watch and single-handedly saved a Mariners game earlier this season in Detroit.
His value is good right now. It definitely could get better. A lot of teams out there would love a guy in their late 20’s, with a sky-high walk rate, power/speed, and a decent average. If the right deal comes Dipoto’s way, I could definitely see him making a move to breaking apart the upcoming outfield logjam by trading Jake Fraley.