1 Mariners trade Jerry Dipoto will regret and 2 that will be home runs

Dipoto will wish he could take back the trade with the Braves

There are two things I want to bring up about this trade and address. The first thing is that I don't think Dipoto makes this trade without the ownership squeezing his budget before the offseason really began. This move was strictly a salary dump move that saw them get rid of Marco Gonzalez and Evan White's atrocious contracts. To do this, they had to include former top prospect, Jarred Kelenic. I'm sure the Mariners had other opportunities, prior to this offseason, to unload the contracts of both of those two.

The second point I want to bring up is that while you may be thinking that I am of the opinion Dipoto will regret this trade because they had to give up Kelenic, you would be wrong. I think that Kelenic would have been traded this offseason, regardless of the financial restrictions. Kelenic showed a lot of immaturity and seemed to cause some issues in the clubhouse (his immaturity was on display again this offseason).

Dipoto will regret this trade because of Marco Gonzalez. The cost of a number five or six starter right now is pretty expensive, and while Gonazlez was scheduled to make $12M this year, that isn't that crazy considering his dependability and presence in the locker room. The Mariners were able to get rid of what sounded like a bad clubhouse fit in Kelenic (a guy who they were able to replace) but they lost a great veteran leader in Marco Gonzalez (and that replacement looks to be Emerson Hancock, Austin Voth, or maybe Trent Thorton). Those options just don't inspire a lot of confidence in the options after the top five in the rotation.