FanSided

3 Players the Mariners gave up on too soon

By Andrew Bailie |
Oakland Athletics v Seattle Mariners
Oakland Athletics v Seattle Mariners / Stephen Brashear/GettyImages
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Jerry Dipoto has had his share of hits during his time as the Mariners GM and VP of baseball operations, but he also has had some misses in his time in Seattle. This article will discuss how the Mariners let go of players before they became stars or solid contributors with their new clubs. Think of if the Mariners gave up too soon on Cal Raleigh, would he have ever been the guy to help the M’s end the drought? What about if the Mariners decided to trade George Kirby at the 2021 trade deadline for Jose Berrios, it would have been disastrous. You just never know what will become of a top prospect. Which is why it is still concerning to think what may become of Jake Fraley, Justin Dunn, Brandon Williamson, and Connor Phillips (for Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez) or Levi Stoudt, Edwin Arroyo, Noelvi Marte, and Andrew Moore (for Luis Castillo). Who knows what will become of these players and prospects the Mariners gave to the Reds in these deals. However, only third baseman Noelvi Marte at 26th and shortstop Edwin Arroyo at 38th are on the MLB.com top 100 prospects list. Hopefully, none of these players comes back to bite the Mariners later after the Mariners gave up on them, but if there were to be a player to do it expect them to be a future Red. Since we cannot predict the future, here are three players the Mariners gave up on in the Jerry Dipoto era fans wish he would have hung onto.

Pitcher Freddy Peralta

St. Louis Cardinals v Milwaukee Brewers
St. Louis Cardinals v Milwaukee Brewers / Stacy Revere/GettyImages

This is a fitting first choice given the Brewers are visiting the Mariners during the current homestand. Luckily for the Mariners they will not face Peralta in their series with the Brew Crew with Peralta’s ERA for 2023 at 0.75 in his first two starts. Before he was traded, Peralta had a 4.11 ERA (2-3 record) in Rookie-ball for the 2015 season where he made nine starts. Seattle traded Freddy Peralta to Milwaukee along with Carlos Herrera and Daniel Missaki for Adam Lind in 2015 at the beginning of the Dipoto era. Adam Lind did not last more than a season with Mariners hitting just .239 with 20 HR in 126 games for the M’s in 2016. Freddy Peralta, however, has put up a 3.73 career ERA with a (32-17 record) and 4.9 WAR for the Brewers. Peralta’s career started in the bullpen before he was moved to the starting rotation in 2021 after three seasons as a reliever. He made the all-star game in 2021 and finished with a 2.81 ERA (10-5 record). Considering Adam Lind finished with -0.3 WAR in his lone season with the Mariners, the Brewers clearly got the better of this deal between the two teams. Imagine right now if the Mariners had Peralta in their rotation, he would fill a big hole in the rotation which currently is missing Robbie Ray.

Second Baseman Ketel Marte

Arizona Diamondbacks v Los Angeles Dodgers
Arizona Diamondbacks v Los Angeles Dodgers / Ronald Martinez/GettyImages

Ketel Marte was a top prospect at the time he was traded along with Taijuan Walker to the Diamondbacks in a deal where the Mariners acquired Mitch Haniger, Jean Segura, and Zac Curtis. Ketel Marte struggled to find his power swing in Seattle slugging just .349 while hitting .267. Had the Mariners given him more time he could have developed into their future second baseman after Robinson Cano retired. However, the Mariners priorities were different back in 2016 and they needed outfield help. Marte’s best season for the D-Backs came in 2019 where he made the all-star game, hit .329, with 32 HR .981 OPS, and finished fourth in MVP voting. The Mariners could really use Marte now, especially given the struggles of finding a consistent second baseman post Robinson Cano. Since Cano was traded to the Mets the Mariners have played Dee Gordon, Shed Long, Dylan Moore, Abraham Toro, Adam Frazier, and now Kolten Wong at the position. Ketel Marte has split time between the outfield and second base, but he mostly plays second base, and would have been a better option than any of these other players just mentioned. In his time with the D-Backs Marte has hit .282, with a .824 OPS, 80 HR, and 290 RBI. The Mariners would certainly love to have his production at second base right now.

Pitcher Pablo Lopez

Chicago White Sox v Minnesota Twins
Chicago White Sox v Minnesota Twins / Brace Hemmelgarn/GettyImages

Pablo Lopez was an after thought for the Mariners when he was dealt to the Miami Marlins in exchange for David Phelps in 2017. He was a lower-end prospect in the Mariners farm system at the time, but he has developed into a solid starter. Lopez is currently with the Minnesota Twins after the Marlins traded him after the 2022 season. He currently posts a 1.35 ERA in three starts for the Twins this year and for his career has a 3.84 ERA in 97 career starts with 9.3 WAR. He is a simple case of the Mariners being too eager to win now as they let go of a young player too early. Lopez had an exceptional 2016 in Low-A Clinton for the M’s in 2016 with a 2.13 ERA and (7-1) record. However, he regressed in 2017 (5-8) with a 5.04 ERA in High-A Modesto. The Marlins acquired Pablo Lopez as a nice buy-low get acquiring him for David Phelps who only made 10 appearances as a reliever, finishing with a 3.12 ERA and (2-1) record. Phelps missed all of 2018, before signing with the Blue Jays in 2019.  Pablo Lopez served as a cautionary tale for Jerry Dipoto, a lesson his critics should learn from when other deals do not materialize at the trade deadline.

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