The season hasn’t been over for very long and already the Mariners have regained their title as one of the most active teams of the offseason. After a trade earlier in the week for Teoscar Hernandez from the Blue Jays, the Mariners wasted no time turning around and making yet another trade. This time it was with the Diamondbacks for C/OF Cooper Hummel in exchange for former ROY Kyle Lewis.
This one caught everyone off guard, as many fans weren’t expecting the Mariners to move Kyle Lewis. If anything, it was because it was too hard to determine his value. That’s never stopped Dipoto before, and he was able to swing a trade for an interesting player from the Diamondbacks system.
The Mariners sent out OF/DH Kyle Lewis to the Arizona Diamondbacks for C/OF Cooper Hummel
Cooper Hummel comes over to the Mariners as a late bloomer and will be given a chance in Spring Training to fight for one of the Mariners outfield spots. He could also fight for the funky utility spot with Luis Torrens, using his availability to play catcher as a leveraging factor to have greater value to the major league team.
He will be 28 in late November and has finally started to hit well in AA over the last couple of years. Check out his stats in AAA in 2021 and 2022.
- 2021 – .311/.432/.546. 92 games. 12 HR, 21 2B, only 61 Ks, 293 AB
- 2022 – .310/.423/.527. 33 games. 1 HR, 8 2B, 40 Ks in 129 AB
The eye was much better in 2021, with a K rate just above 16.7%. It jumped massively in 2022, but he still ended up on the MLB roster for 66 games. He struggled in the majors, hitting .176/.274/.307 in 176 ABs, with a K rate of 31.8%. He does walk a lot though and showed an ability to hit well in AAA the last two seasons.
He’s mostly been playing LF but does see some time behind the plate. It might not be enough to be an actual backup catcher, but having a third guy on the roster who can play legit outfield is worth giving a shot. Better than Luis Torrens.
The Mariners haven’t really gotten anything out of Kyle Lewis in the last couple of years since he won the ROY, so taking a waiver on someone seems like a decent idea. Hummel hadn’t been with Arizona long, heading there in 2021 in a trade with the Brewers as a part of the return for Eduardo Escobar.
This isn’t a power move or a major move by any means. It does give the Mariners a flier on an OF who might just be coming into his own and could fight for one of the BN positions on the Mariners big league roster. Yes, it definitely hurts to see Lewis go, but it could be the best for all involved. He doesn’t fit the Mariners current window, and it gives him a chance to get back into MLB shape as the Diamondbacks figure out their path over the next few years.