Mariners Trade Proposal: A deal for the Rockies CJ Cron

Okay, the first Mariners trade proposal left a lot to be desired. This one will be better, no worries. It also highlights one of the potential issues with the trade values site that people love using. Sometimes, the values are spot on. Other times, they are off by a lot. That’s the case with CJ Cron from the Colorado Rockies.

His value is a lot higher than it shows on there. According to their site you could get Cron, who is signed through 2023 at $7.25 million per year, straight up for Adam Macko. With how well Cron has done over the last two years (even adding in 2018 and 2019 which were darn good), his value is higher than that, plain and simple.

Still, it’s a player that the Mariners need to spend some time looking at. Throughout the first half of the season, the Mariners have needed another big bat in their lineup. Someone who can instantly make a difference on the scoreboard.

CJ Cron could be the power bat the Mariners need for a second-half push

So, what would it take? I mentioned Macko earlier, but that’s not going to be enough. Here’s what I think would make a reasonable trade.

Adam Macko is a strikeout machine, tallying 15.1 K/9 last year in A Ball, and 14.1 this year while at High-A Everett. Only 21, he’s a lanky lefty with good movement and velocity… but I think you can tell what’s coming next. There is a bit of a control problem, as he has walked guys at a 4.7/9 clip this season. It hasn’t hurt the ERA too badly, as he is a touch below 4 at 3.99. He’s one of those dangerous and fun prospects because if he figures it out, he will rocket up prospect value boards.

Cade Marlowe is the “old” guy in the group, at 25. This also means that he could be ready for the bigs last year, and could provide a bit of pop and a lot of speed. He’s the type of player that could be fun in Colorado if the home-field advantage results in a few more homers. Through 250 AB in AA this year, he has 10 HR and 21 SB. Tell me you aren’t curious to see what he could do at Coors.

Bryan Woo was the Mariners 6th-round pick in 2021 and is showing great confidence after TJ last year. He has an upper 80s slider with a change in the same range and a big-time heater. That stuff is working in limited time this year in A ball so far, with 19 Ks in 12.1 innings. He’s 22, and could be a nice bullpen piece in a few years.

The Rockies would be getting the Mariners 9th, 15th, and 30th ranked prospects in the deal. A big point of importance in any deal with the Mariners is remembering that it’s the value of their system over the number the player is ranked. Even with promotions and movement (Julio, Kelenic, Kirby, Hancock) the Mariners still have four top-100 prospects. It’s a strong system, and still one of the best.

It’s why I think this is a deal that would be a nice little haul for the Rockies, and one the Mariners would make as well to shore up that lineup. Getting CJ Cron and his slash line of .297/.347/.552, to go along with 20 HR halfway through the season would be great protection for Julio, and a big punch to the Mariners lineup.