Mariners Trade Proposal: Calling the Marlins about Jazz Chisholm

It’s that time of year again. Teams are fighting to stay relevant in the playoff picture, and fans and media outlets are going wild with trade proposals all over the internet. With the Mariners recent hot stretch, it’s been them back into the “yeah, if we get the right addition then we can definitely make a run as a playoff team” mindset.

So, what positions should they look at? Unlike last year, there isn’t as much of a need at starting pitcher. Sure, if someone goes down to injury (knock, knock) then they will need a guy. They could also search for an upgrade to one of the current guys in the rotation. For now, we are going to look to the infield for a potential upgrade.

What would happen if the Mariners called the Marlins about Jazz Chisholm?

The Mariners could easily go for an upgrade at second base. Adam Frazier has been a disappointment so far, and is easily having the worst season of his career. This isn’t the player that we thought we were going to get, and Frazier has actually posted a negative WAR (-0.6) on the season.

Now, I don’t know if Jazz Chisholm is available or not. However, it is the Miami Marlins. They seem to always be down to trade if they can get the right return, regardless of who the player is. I don’t know if the Marlins would even sell, especially just two games back of .500 and four games back of the final Wild Card Spot. Oddly enough, that’s exactly where the Mariners are as well.

BUT… this is proposal season, so why not go for it. Here’s a reasonable offer that I think the Mariners could make to go and acquire Jazz Chisholm at the deadline. Be ready, because, with his production and amount of control left, it’s going to cost a bit to get him.

First, let’s start off with the level of increased production the Mariners would be getting by going from Frazier to Chisholm. Check out the difference in their stats this year.

• Frazier – .218/.287/.290. 2 HR, 2 SB, 13 2B, 71 OPS+, -0.6 WAR (-0.1, -0.3)
• Chisholm – .254/.325/.535. 14 HR, 12 SB, 10 2B, 138 OPS+, 2.4 WAR (2.1 and 0.5)

That’s huge. There is really no other way to put it. You are taking out a guy who is playing every day with sub-standard numbers and replacing him with someone who is performing at above an All-Star pace.

Frazier is also going to be a free agent at the end of the season. He could slide in, for the rest of the year, as a platoon guy who fills in when needed, helping out at second occasionally, but mostly in the outfield. Chisholm instantly joins the top of the Mariners order, which would look quite formidable with Jazz inserted into a healthy lineup. I don’t know the exact order, but imagine something like this.

1. Jazz Chisholm
2. Ty France
3. Julio Rodriguez
4. Mitch Haniger
5. Jesse Winker
6. Eugenio Suarez
7. JP Crawford
8. Cal Raleigh
9. Kyle Lewis

The Mariners still would need to put some decent talent into the deal to make it happen. Torrens hasn’t been able to figure it out this year, so maybe (another) change of scenery could help him out. He showed a nice run of power last year but hasn’t done enough since then.

The big part of the deal, though, would be sending off their 5th and 8th ranked prospects to Miami. They get Levi Stoudt, a very promising young pitcher who is set to debut in the bigs next year. With what Miami normally seems to be able to produce from young pitching, he could be a valuable weapon for their rotation.

In Gonzalez, they get a young outfielder that they can stash away for a while. He’s been raking in Rookie ball this year, hitting .382/.455/.559 in 20 games. Just 18, he is a long ways away but is showing huge potential and a very high ceiling. With a good glove and run tool to pair, if the bat starts to show more and more, you could be looking at a 20/20 guy down the line.

I’m also “throwing in” Polcovich, who likely projects as a utility infielder. He hasn’t found his pop yet, but has a good eye, plays solid defense at second, and has good speed.

Are the Marlins going to trade away someone like Chisholm? It’s unlikely. The Marlins fans deserve to keep a guy like this around, as he is a lot of fun to watch. However, there are a few teams in baseball that you never know what to expect from them, and the Marlins and Mariners both fit the bill. Plus, imagine how crazy and fun it would be to watch both JP Crawford and Jazz Chisholm on the same team. What do you think? Is it enough? Do you want to see it happen? Let us know!