Mariners: Who won the Robinson Cano/Jarred Kelenic Trade?

Mariners/Mets Trade: Case for the Seattle Mariners

This was a deal that shocked everyone. The Mariners sent out Diaz who had just led the league in saves with 57, alongside their biggest contract in team history. In return, they got a serviceable OF who was nearing the end, a young flamethrower, and a decent reliever. They also got two top-100 prospects. It seemed like a massive win at the time, and there were very few people out there who thought the Mets got the best return in the deal.

It’s 3.5 years later, and some are making the case that things have changed. The last slide looks at things from the Mets perspective, but what about the Mariners?

The Mariners sort of use a closer by committee, but not in the sense you may think of. They pitch based on matchups. It’s why three guys had ten+ saves last year. Would they solely use Diaz in the 9th if they had him? Possibly. It’s not a guarantee though.

The Mariners paid just over $20 million of Bruce’s salary and got 0.3 WAR out of him in 40+ games, before trading him to the Phillies for Jake Scheiner. Scheiner is a corner guy (1B, 3B, LF) with a little bit of pop and a good eye, but is already 26 and still in AA.

With Swarzak, he threw about 13 innings while making $4.78 million, and was traded to the Braves for Jesse Biddle and Arodys Vizcaino. Biddle was awful, and Vizcaino never threw for the Mariners.

Gerson Bautista was a super young flamethrower with arm issues. After a few appearances with the Mariners, he was let go and hasn’t been in the bigs since.

Justin Dunn provided a bit of spark for the Mariners, and there were legit conversations about whether or not he was going to be a part of the Mariners rotation for the years to come. He had/has good stuff, but a combination of nagging shoulder injuries and control issues have plagued him. He ended up being a part of the package to the Reds for Winker and Suarez, helping net the Mariners two starting hitters for their lineup.

Dunn did have a 3.94 ERA with the Mariners, but a 5.61 FIP with 6.0 BB/9. He did provide some WAR for the Mariners, actually netting more than Cano, tallying a 1.6 WAR in 25 starts and just over 100 innings.

The Mariners got rid of money, used Dunn to acquire more pieces, and have a super young player with an incredible ceiling, but a very low floor. So… who won?