One Mariners Trade Proposal from each A.L. East Team

The Seattle Mariners are building one of the most talented young cores in baseball with players like Jarred Kelenic, Julio Rodriguez, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby just to name a few. The list goes on and on, but the Mariners need to add to that young core with big-league talent. There are several ways that they can do that, and there will be 5 trade proposals with American League East teams to improve the Mariners utility depth, bullpen, and third base positions for 2022.

Mariners Trade Target: Baltimore Orioles – UT Jorge Mateo

First up is Baltimore Orioles utility man Jorge Mateo. Mateo was once considered to be a top prospect for the Yankees. He was then sent to the A’s in the Sonny Gray trade, then traded to the Padres before being claimed by the Orioles last season. His best tool is his speed. He is one of the fastest players in baseball, having the 5th fastest sprint speed last year among all players.

He has had some good seasons in the minors, and he hasn’t been anything great in the minors, but he has been alright. He slashed .247/.293/.376 on the whole last season, but he struggled early on with the Padres. Looking at his numbers in Baltimore show some more promise, where he slashed .280/.328/.421 in 116 plate appearances. He had 23 more plate appearances in Baltimore, and he looked much better there than in San Diego.

Even though it was a fairly small sample size, Mateo was much better than Mariners utility man Dylan Moore last year. Moore slashed .181/.276/.334 in 377 plate appearances, so it would be a big upgrade if Mateo would play like he did in Baltimore consistently. Ideally however, the M’s will not rely on their utility man to play in 126 games last year like Moore did, but rather come off the bench as a speed and defense player. He has tremendous base stealing ability as well.

This is why trading for Mateo would come in conjuncture with signing someone like Kris Bryant or Trevor Story because he would be a strict bench player with speed off the bench. Mateo played second base, shortstop, third base, left field, center field, and right field last year, so he has lots of positional versatility. He would not cost a lot either since he is projected as a bench player for the Orioles next year.

For the Orioles, trading for Justin Dunn would add to their rotation mix, which has a lot of lefties in it currently, and they can give Dunn the chance to start in the big leagues. He is not going to have that chance with the Mariners, but they could move him for a part time bench player in Mateo. The Orioles would probably be starting Dunn in their rotation and seeing if he can figure it out as a starter.

All in all, while Mateo isn’t a great player, he would be a very interesting player for the Mariners because he is something they have never had before. They haven’t had a true stolen base threat who actually gets a large amount of steals. He had 10 last year in limited playing time, so he has multiple years with 20 plus in the minors.

Mariners Trade Target: Boston Red Sox – RHP Hirokazu Sawamura

The Mariners have had a long history of having Japanese players on their roster for years, and they do not have a clear cut path to having another Japanese player in 2022. One way to correct that is by trading for Red Sox right hander Hirokazu Sawamura. He had a nice first year last in America, pitching in 53 innings and having a 3.06 ERA. He was very solid for the Red Sox, and pitched for them in the ALCS.

He would be a way to add depth to the bullpen, and be someone who could eat innings in the middle of the game. He could be a very good middle reliever for the Mariners in 2022, and be someone that can take the pressure off guys like Paul Sewald, Drew Steckenrider, and Casey Sadler. There is no way that the Mariners could have too many relievers, and Sawamura would be a great depth add.

He has a good fastball around 97 mph, a changeup/splitter that is in the low 90s, and a slider. He is a solid reliever, and he would not cost a ton to add in trade either.

In this trade proposal, the Red Sox would be getting Joe Rizzo who has struggled with the Mariners in the minors. He has never done anything great in the minors, but reached AA last year at the age of 23. He was drafted 50th overall by the Mariners back in 2016, but has been pretty disappointing since. He would benefit from a new start, and Boston can provide that. The M’s would not miss Rizzo too much in their system either.

Overall, Sawamura is a very intriguing name for the Mariners to consider for adding to their bullpen. He would be fun to watch in Seattle, especially with the long heritage and history of Japanese players playing and thriving in Seattle for the Mariners.

Mariners Trade Target: New York Yankees – LHP Lucas Luetge

The Seattle Mariners used to have a lefty reliever in their bullpen back from 2012-2015, and that is Lucas Luetge. He was never anything too special when he was with the Mariners, but he was a nice LOOGY(Left-handed One Out Guy). That role of a specialized left on left reliever who faces one batter is gone now due to the three batter minimum rule, but Luetge had a career resurgence last year with the Yankees.

Luetge did not pitch in the big leagues from 2016-2020, but he made it back with the Yankees last year to have a great season. He appeared in 57 games, accumulated 72.1 innings, had a career high K/9 of 9.71, an ERA of 2.74, a FIP of 2.84, and was worth 1.5 WAR. His numbers show that he was a very quality reliever last year, and he would certainly be worth adding to the Mariners bullpen.

He was very reliable last year for the Yankees, and he would certainly be a good add for the Mariners. He would fill the M’s hole at lefty reliever. Currently they have Anthony Misiewicz, Aaron Fletcher, Justus Sheffield, and Nick Margevicius on their roster as possible left handed relievers. Trading for Luetge would be a fairly cheap way to add a proven lefty to the mix.

In this proposal, the Yankees would be getting a very young reliever in Luis Curvelo. He was in Modesto last year at high A, and he offers future help for the Bronx bombers in their ‘pen. Trading Luetge also frees up a 40 man roster spot for the Yankees, and that has more value that it may seem.

If the Yankees go after a big name free agent, they have to clear 40 man space, and sending Luetge to the Mariners would help do that. Luetge is a very interesting name for the Mariners bullpen, and it would be fun to see him return to Seattle. Next up is an option for third base that no one has talked about yet.

Mariners Trade Target: Tampa Bay Rays – INF Yandy Diaz

The Mariners have been looking for a third baseman all offseason with the retirement of Kyle Seager. They have been linked to free agents Kris Bryant and Trevor Story, but if they miss out on one of those players, they will have to turn in another direction. Yandy Diaz is a name that no one has talked about yet, and he may not be the best option to fill third base this year, but he would certainly be intriguing.

Diaz is now entering arbitration and he will be more expensive than the rookies the Rays could use in his place. He is only expected to make about $2.5 million in 2022, but that is $2 million more than they would pay a prospect. Also the Rays have Curtis Mead coming at third base, as well as several other middle infield prospects.

Last year, Diaz started to transition away from third base a little bit. He played 58 games at third base and 81 at first base. This was in part because Joey Wendle got a lot of the action at third base for the Rays last year. Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi also missed a lot of the season, so that also contributed to Diaz playing more first base. With Wendle now in Miami and Choi hopefully healthy for a full season, Diaz should be back at third base, and he would fit their for the Mariners.

A big reason that Diaz would fit in Seattle is because he controls the zone. He had a strikeout rate below 16% last year, well below league average(22%), and he walked 12.8% of the time which was in the top 10% of the league. He is a good average and on base hitter, slashing .256/.353/.387 last year in a career high 134 games. He was worth 1.8 WAR last year, and that is about where he is for his career. Trading for him would not cost a top 5 prospect, but good players.

In this trade proposal, the Rays would be getting Zach DeLoach, who is a top 15ish prospect for the Mariners and he is going to be pretty close to the big leagues. He probably is ready to make the leap to the bigs in 2023. Anthony Misiewicz is a left handed reliever for the Mariners, and he is someone who could go more than one inning for the Rays if he needed to. He used to be a starter in the minor leagues.

Finally Juan Then is coming off of a disappointing season last year, but the Rays would be a prime candidate to get more out of him. He probably is best suited for a reliever role, and the Rays can use him there. The Rays would do this deal because they have a lot of infielders on the way, and they would get depth for the future, and a possible swing pitcher for their roster this year.

The Mariners should not pursue Diaz as their first option at third base, but he may be a very interesting player if they miss out on Story or Bryant. He would make a very interesting tandem at third with Abraham Toro, with Diaz getting a large majority of the playing time. Next up is another third base possibility.