Mariners Trade Proposal: A deal for the Reds Brandon Drury

Brandon Drury is a name that has been added to the “likely to be traded” from the Cincinnati Reds. We already saw the Mariners sneak in and grab some Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez from them, which no one expected to happen. Could the Mariners and Reds make another deal as the deadline approaches for yet another hitter?

It’s been a while since Drury has been good. It seemed like he was going to be a massive piece of the Arizona Diamondbacks back in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, as he hit .275/.323/.453 with 68 2B and 29 HR over those two seasons. Instead, he was traded to the Yankees and floundered around for years without providing much impact anywhere.

2022 has been a different story though. He’s hit .270/.331/.524 with 17 HR, 15 2B, an OPS+ of 126, and a K rate of just 22.2%. He’s not just getting lucky either, as his BABIP (.296) falls right in line with the league average (.297). With the Reds sitting at 28-53, well out of the WC race, and more focused on getting a top pick, it makes sense to deal Drury, who is highly unlikely to re-sign in Cinci, that they would try and get something for him.

Brandon Drury has positional flexibility, and could be an answer at second base for the Mariners

What would they look for in return, though? They aren’t going to need salary or rentals in return, so we are going to go the prospect route for players that are going to be able to help them down the line. Hopefully, these players have better luck staying healthy than Jake Fraley or Justin Dunn have since being traded.

Alberto Rodriguez has plenty of talent, and will likely see the bigs in 2024, albeit late in the season. The Mariners had to pry him away from the Blue Jays and liked him enough that they protected him in the Rule 5 draft. He’s gonna be a corner outfielder, but if the power catches up to the build (about 6′-230), he’s going to provide average defense and solid pop that can play as an MLB outfielder.

Milkar Perez is young and has been struggling to hit this year. However, he has an exceptional eye, walking 17-18% of the time. With an elite arm, he can stick at third long term and would help build the system as another young and high-ceiling addition to the Reds system.

Stephen Kolek would be the piece that is nearest to the bigs, and rounds out the offer. He’s a 25-year-old starter, with a mid 90’s fastball, and a slider that sits low 80s but comes with a lot of break and movement. He’s shown the ability this year to consistently go 5-6 innings and is striking out just over 9 per 9. He could easily get a shot as a starter for the Reds, especially if some of their starters leave via trade this year.

Rodriguez and Perez are 7th and 11th for the Mariners, and would likely each slot in the top ten with the Reds. Drury is a rental for the rest of the year, so he will be looking for a nice payout this winter. He won’t be insanely expensive to get, but a team won’t be able to swipe him for peanuts. The Mariners should do their due diligence and see if they can get Drury at a solid price to shore up the second base spot in their second-half push.