Mariners risk undercutting their trade deadline outlook with latest prospect promotion

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has at times been accused of thinking he's smarter than he actually is. We would contend though that his overall success with the M's -- whether it be the consistent level of winning since 2021, the strength of the farm system, his trades, and so on -- prove that he knows what he's doing. Which makes the timing of Felnin Celesten's promotion to Double-A Arkansas all the more surprising.

To be clear, Celesten's promotion is absolutely well deserved, as he's been tremendous all season in High-A Everett. He's been particularly hot since the start of May, hitting .328 with a 1.003 OPS and 155 wRC+, and also had a 25-game hitting streak. As a result the Dominican Republic native is moving up to Double-A after just 91 games in High-A, which is faster than Colt Emerson, Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo.

However, where the potential concern comes in, relates to Celesten's current value as a trade asset. The 20-year-old is currently ranked No. 70 by MLB Pipeline and No. 94 by Baseball America, with his stock only continuing to go up. By moving him up to Double-A Arkansas two weeks before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, this could hurt his stock between now and then.

2 main reasons to be concerned about the Mariners promoting Felnin Celesten now

The first reason comes down to the step up in competition, with even talented players often needing a period of adjustment to get going. However, what could really compromise Celesten is playing at Dickey-Stephens Park, which has a deserved reputation of being hell for hitters. On this point, six of the Travelers' 12 games between now and Aug. 3 will be played at their home stadium.

If Celesten is indeed viewed as a potential trade asset, you do have to wonder if this promotion should have taken place sooner or later? Doing it right now seems curious, unless it's because the Mariners aren't actually looking to trade the switch-hitter. Perhaps they're now more convinced than ever, that they were justified in signing him for $4.7 million in 2023, which is the largest bonus the organization has ever given an international player.

We do believe Celesten still has value as a trade asset who could help the Mariners with their ambitions of adding a quality right-handed bat and reliever by the deadline, to strengthen their postseason challenge. Which is why we're concerned about potentially compromising his current stock.

Again though, Dipoto has proven repeatedly that he knows what he's doing and what he does and doesn't want. So, as much as the critics might not like it, he has certainly earned the benefit of the doubt.

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