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Bleacher Report thinks the Mariners could fill two holes in their lineup, and get cash, for Bryan Woo.
Bleacher Report recently came out with an article predicting eight trades, one of which included the Mariners filling two holes in their lineup for Bryan Woo
As we get deeper into the offseason, there are still some glimmers of hope for us as Mariners fans. We did end up signing Mitch Garver, showing that something is being done to improve the lineup after all the deductive trades that were made. Pitchers and Catchers are only 5-6 weeks away from reporting, and before we know it, Spring Training will be here.
However, is it possible that we could still see some moves by the Mariners? Bleacher Report seems to think so. We already talked a bit the other day about their best landing spot for each player rumored to be on the trade block, and we looked at the ones involving the Mariners. It's not all they did though, as they also went through and proposed eight trades around some of those players, and one just so happened to revolve around the Mariners.
Whether or not you believe in money being a new issue with all the TV deal shenangians going on, it has to be brought up when you are trying to think about what the Mariners could do to improve. They've cut payroll by a fair amount, and sit somewhere around $120M at the time of this article. With earlier rumblings this offseason that they would end up at a higher number than 2023 to rumors that they could finish around 135-140, it's hard to know what to predict.
That's why the setup for the trade that was proposed by Bleacher Report is interesting. Here is what they propose.
Mariners receive: Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler, and CASH
Twins receive: Bryan Woo
It's not just a minimal amount of cash, either. They call for the Twins to pay for half of the remaining salary for Polanco and Kepler this season, meaning the Mariners would take on just $10.25M in this deal. Is it worth it?
Why the Mariners should make the deal for Polanco, Kepler, and cash
You're giving up a piece of your rotation, either your #4 or #5 starter depending on which side of the Miller v Woo argument you land on, and instantly upgrading the lineup with two players that have proven to produce at the major league level.
Polanco is a consistently good hitter, putting up OPS+ marks of 110 or more over each of the last five full seasons, throwing out the shortened 2020 season. He's averaged an OPS just over .800 during that time, while hitting around .270. Oh, and he also plays above average defense as well, mainly slotting in at second but being able to fill in at third.
With Kepler, he's coming off a 24 HR season in which he hit .260/.332/.484 with a 121 OPS+ and a 2.9 WAR. Are you telling me that wouldn't help the Mariners outfield right now? Maybe it would make the lineup look something like this.
SS - JP Crawford
2B - Jorge Polanco
CF - Julio Rodriguez
C - Cal Raleigh
DH - Mitch Garver
LF - Max Kepler
3B - Luis Urias
1B - Ty France
RF - Dominic Canzone
You have Rojas, Cabby, Hunt, and Moore on the Bench. Not great, but still worlds better than things sit right now most likely.
Why the Mariners shouldn't make the deal for Polanco, Kepler, and cash
Have you seen the pitching market? It seems like it is going crazy this offseason. Frankie Montas signed a 1YR/$16M that could become a 2YR/$34M deal. Woo (or Miller) definitely have more value than that. Seth Lugo got 3YR/$45M. Michael Wacha got 2YR/$32M. Eduardo Rodriguez got 4YR/$80M.
You're telling me that, in a trade, you wouldn't be able to get a boatload back from Woo? I think that, even with the cash involved, the Mariners wouldn't be interested in making this deal because of the amount of value that they would end up losing based on what they could get by making a deal elsewhere.
If Polanco and Kepler had a combined 5 years of control, then maybe it would be something that the Mariners would consider. Bryan Woo hits Arb-3 (it looks like) in 2029, meaning that he isn't a Free Agent until 2030! That is so much control over a starting pitcher that you HAVE to get more than 2/3 years return in offense.
I like Polanco. I sort of like Kepler. But for Woo? I just don't see it making sense from a value standpoint.
Final Verdict: I'm gonna have to say no here
It really comes down to this for me. Why would you take on that money, even if the Twins are paying half of it, for one year of Kepler and 1/2 years of Polanco (based on his club option), when you could just sign someone and keep Woo? That's the bugaboo, here, for me.
Couldn't you just give $10-12M to one of the hitters in that range, maybe up to $15M since that isn't a huge difference in the grand scheme of things in baseball, and still keep Woo? Then, if you are really looking for another hitter, you could just go and trade a prospect, likely one with a decent value (Gabby Gonzales, maybe?) for a hitter?
You'd end up still trading someone away with value, but your rotation stays intact, the payroll does grow a bit more, but you are in such a better position that the amount of incoming money from fans and tickets would easily offset the amount spent.
If there is really nothing else that is possible to do, and this is the only thing out there to make your team better... I still don't know that I move Woo for them. I need more. With how pitchers are going, it just seems like they have more value than this. Sorry, but I have to say no here.