A Trade Target for the Mariners From Each N.L. West Team

The Seattle Mariners will need to make some more additions to their roster once the lockout ends, hopefully as soon as possible. One way that they could improve their team is via trades. Some major holes still remain on their roster: third base, starting pitcher, and potentially in the outfield. The Mariners could look to the National League West for some pieces to improve their roster. Leading off the division, here is a trade target from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Let’s look at a trade target for the Mariners from each team in the NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks – David Peralta

David Peralta fits the Mariners perfectly. He is a quality big league player, and adding a player like Peralta to the lineup could only help the Mariners on their path to making the playoffs for the first time since 2001. He is the type of player that will be able to play regularly, and he will hit anywhere from the middle to back half of the lineup, and he will be at least an average contributor. He will not let anyone down, he will just be a solid dude.

Peralta is a left fielder who can still play defense, even at age 34. He has some good numbers to suggest his defense is not going to fall off of a cliff. He is in the 74th percentile for Outs Above Average, 70th percentile in Outfielder Jumps, and 63rd in sprint speed. Those all suggest that he still has his legs, and can still be a contributor for the Mariners. He would slot in nicely in left field, letting Jarred Kelenic play center field, where he should continue to grow in the position.

On top of his at least slightly above-average defense, Peralta is still an average hitter. in 2021, he played in 150 games and slashed .259/.325/.402. That is a quality slash line from Peralta, and even though he had a slight dip in his wRC+ compared to years past, he still had a 93 wRC+. This was the first season since 2016 it was below 100. The two years prior to 2021 he had 105 both years. He should be able to repeat about a league average season and help the Mariners.

The best part about the Mariners acquiring David Peralta, is that he is a one year player. They would not have to give up anything hardly significant at all for him. He could come in for 2022, help play the outfield while Kelenic, Julio Rodriguez, and Kyle Lewis continue developing. If all goes well, maybe they would bring him back in 2023, but the positive impact Peralta would have on the team for next year would be a large one.

For the D-Backs, they move on from Peralta, and his $8 million salary for next year, for Patrick Frick. Frick made it to AA last year, and projects as mostly a utility role. They also get a lottery ticket that does not hurt the Mariners in Luis Bolivar. Bolivar is considered to be a bottom of the system prospect, who could turn into something, like every 17 year old, but will not ultimately stop either side from making the deal.

Frick is a smart player, who should stick in a middle of the field position. He could play any of second base, shortstop, or potentially even center field someday. The D-Backs would be thrilled if in two years, Frick was a part of their big league roster. They will have to develop Bolivar, but they have to get more than just Frick from the Mariners. The next trade target comes from the Colorado Rockies, and is related to a current Mariner.

Colorado Rockies – Jordan Sheffield

That’s right, the Seattle Mariners should try to acquire current LHP Justus Sheffield’s brother, Jordan Sheffield. Jordan Sheffield is a right-handed reliever currently with the Colorado Rockies. He pitched nearly 30 innings last year, and he was not bad at all. Sheffield was a decent contributor to the Rockies bullpen when he was there. He missed a large chunk of the season due to a right lat strain that cost him two months of the season.

Jordan Sheffield has a few very strong traits that the Mariners could use to their advantage if they were to acquire him. First of all, he has a fastball that sits at 96mph, and has a great spin rate. He was in the 99th percentile in fastball spin rate last year. He throws that fastball a majority of the time, and also mixes in a slider and a changeup. He could be a very solid reliever if the Mariners get their hands on him, since they are an even better organization at developing pitchers.

In his 29.1 innings last year, Sheffield put up a 3.38 ERA and a 4.23 FIP. Those are fairly good numbers, especially for a rookie. He had not pitched in the big leagues until last year. He had been in the Dodgers organization, drafted as a supplemental first-round pick back in 2016 out of Vanderbilt. His prospect reports suggest that his three-pitch mix could all be plus. He was even ranked the 10th best prospect in the loaded Dodgers system in 2017.

The Mariners would not have to send a ton to the Rockies for him, but they would have to give up at least a worthwhile player or two. Sheffield is under club control until 2027, so the Mariners wouldn’t get him for cheap.

In this scenario, the Rockies trade Sheffield, who is a bullpen piece only, for Justin Dunn, who still has a chance to start. The Rockies would be trading for Dunn with the assumption that he could compete for the back end of their rotation. The Mariners almost certainly will add someone to push Dunn to their bullpen, maybe already within the roster. The Rockies current fifth starter is projected to be Peter Lambert, who is in a similar position to Dunn.

The Rockies could stick with Lambert and hope he develops from a former top prospect into a reliable starter. The Rockies would increase their chances of having a good starter if they have Lambert and Dunn. Lambert missed almost all of last season with an elbow issue after having Tommy John surgery in 2020. There are some injury red flags with Lambert as well as Dunn, but Dunn did not have the same type of injury.

The Mariners would be getting a fringe reliever for a fringe starter, so the Rockies could get the long term better option in Dunn if he starts, but Sheffield could be an up and down guy at worst for the Mariners. The deal gives the Mariners even more bullpen depth, while moving on from someone they have not had great success with. The Rockies get more starting pitching, which they always need in Colorado. The next target comes from the L.A. Dodgers farm system.

Los Angeles Dodgers Zack McKinstry

Zack McKinstry is one of the Dodgers many utility men on their big league roster and in their organization. He has spent a little time with the Dodgers the last two seasons. He played in four games last year in the shortened season, and then 60 games this year. McKinstry is a player in the same mold as Chris Taylor, he can play all over the field and gives the Dodgers lots of versatility, something Jerry Dipoto has been preaching of late.

For the Mariners to acquire Zack McKinstry, they would be doing so to have him be on the roster instead of a Jake Fraley, or whoever the fourth outfielder is, or take Dylan Moore’s spot. Last year he did have a smaller sample size than Moore, but he was better. McKinstry slashed .215/.263/.405. That is not the best stat line, but he did have a batting average nearly 40 points greater, a slightly lower on-base percentage, but a better slugging percentage compared to Moore.

For the Mariners to land Zack McKinstry, it would not have to cost a lot, especially if the Mariners were to send over a player in a similar position as McKinstry. That means the Mariners could trade someone who has not spent a ton of time in the big leagues but has flashed a little.

In this deal, the Mariners send Erik Swanson to the Dodgers. He is coming off of a fairly good year out of the bullpen. Both players have spent minimal time in the big leagues, and both have similar time left on their contracts. Swanson could be a nice addition for the Dodgers bullpen, as Swanson had a good 35.1 inning campaign in 2021. He had a 127 ERA+, which means he was 27 percent better than average.

Zack McKinstry provides the Mariners great value because he can play several positions of need He played third base, second base, left and right field last year for the Dodgers. Those positions could all use another player there. He is not a particularly great defender at any of those spots, but he will not kill the Mariners. The offensive potential is also there for McKinstry. He has a nice left-handed swing, looking like a combination of Brandon Crawford and Adam Frazier.

McKinstry would provide a good offensive and defensive potential. He would be a strong add for the Mariners and they should look into his availability. He could be a solid addition to the Mariners depth and offer a platoon option, with the potential for more in the future. The next target comes in the form of a straight-up one-for-one swap of well-known players.

San Diego Padres Dinelson Lamet

Dinelson Lamet is one of the most electric pitchers in the game of baseball. However, that electricity is unavailable. Lamet has missed significant time with injuries in his career. His career-high in innings is only 114, which was back in his rookie season in 2017. He was used out of the bullpen for most of last year due to him coming back slowly from a UCL sprain. This was after an emergence in 2020 where he was a 2.4 WAR pitcher in 12 starts for the Padres.

The possibly that Lamet presents for the Mariners is a mid-rotation arm, that flashes ace stuff sometimes and can be a #2 pitcher for ideally most of the year. He could be a potential front end of the rotation pitcher if he can stay healthy for a whole year. The Mariners would be betting on their organization being a better fit for Lamet than the Padres. They also have an oft-injured player themselves that they could trade for him straight up.

This deal gives the Mariners two years of a pitcher who has not been healthy in a long time but has great upside. The Padres get four years of an outfielder who is also injured, but also won the A.L. Rookie of the Year award. The trade fits both clubs perfectly because the Mariners need one more starting pitcher, and the Padres need one more outfielder. Both clubs would currently be running out of options at these players’ positions, so they could swap them.

The Mariners would be running Justin Dunn or Justus Sheffield as the fifth starter, and the Padres would have Jurickson Profar and Wil Myers in the corner outfield spots. The teams could fix these problems by trading these two players. The deal fits both sides incredibly well. It does not take much for both sides to have win the trade either.

If Dinelson Lamet can be at least somewhat healthy and hold down a rotation spot until George Kirby, Brandon Williamson, or Matt Brash are ready, then that is great. If he turns out to be healthy and performs, then the Mariners found themselves a solid starting pitcher. And for the Padres, if Kyle Lewis can play in a corner outfield spot for them and give them 100 games or more, then they get another good offensive talent in their lineup.