Former Mariners trade acquisition lands back in AL West with rival Astros

Seattle Mariners v Atlanta Braves
Seattle Mariners v Atlanta Braves / Todd Kirkland/GettyImages

In August 2020, the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres made a trade, involving a ton of players, one of whom in Taylor Trammell was supposed to be Seattle's prize. The trade also brought Ty France, Andres Muñoz and Luis Torrens to the M's. Muñoz was the only player who could stick it out in Seattle.

Trammell's tenure with the Mariners didn't go as planned. The outfielder, who was projected to have top-100 prospect potential, struggled in the majors. He made his big league debut with Seattle in 2021 and batted .160/.256/.359 over 51 games that season.

Trammell played with the Mariners until 2024, but his offensive fortunes didn't improve. He batted .168/.270/.368 over his 116 games with Seattle and was designated for assignment in March 2024 after missing the Opening Day roster.

Former Mariner Taylor Trammell is back in the AL West with Astros after Yankees trade

The Dodgers picked Trammell up soon after he was DFA'd. He didn't collect a hit in the five games he played before he was DFA'd again. He also appeared in five games in April and May with the Yankees, who traded him back to the American League West on Nov. 4. New York shipped Trammell to the Houston Astros in exchange for cash considerations.

In order for this trade to work out for the Astros, they'll have to reverse Trammell's high strikeout rate. He struck out 22 times in 46 plate appearances in his 2023 season with Seattle and fanned in almost 33% of his plate appearances with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees organization throughout 2024.

If Houston can help Trammell in that department, he could bring a burst of power to its outfield depth. He mashed 18 homers with the RailRiders in 2024 and 21 bombs with Triple-A Tacoma the year before. Not to mention, he's also an athletic outfielder and stole 37 bags in his last 191 Triple-A games.

If Trammell earns a spot on the Astros' roster, the Mariners will have to get used to seeing him in their division rival's uniform. If he doesn't, he may be in for another DFA.

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