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Could the Mariners make a splash and try and trade for Emmanuel Clase?

It recently came out that the Guardians were open to trading Emmanuel Clase. Could the Mariners make a splash and try and obtain Clase and his nasty cutter?

Minnesota Twins v Cleveland Guardians
Minnesota Twins v Cleveland Guardians | Brandon Sloter/GettyImages

The Mariners have been looking for a bit of bullpen help after trading away three pieces over the last year or so. First it was Erik Swanson, then Paul Sewald, and most recently Isaiah Campbell. You can argue that Campbell was "just a guy", but he did have a strong finish to the season for the Mariners. You can only hit so many times on reclamation projects, so could the Mariners look to add a proven closer instead? That may be possible with the recent news that Emmanuel Clase is now on the market.

The Mariners should trade for Emmanuel Clase

Clase has been one of the most dominant relievers, and doing it under-the-rader, over the last few seasons. Don't believe me? Go check out his stats, and you can see what I mean.

Season

ERA

FIP

WHIP

G/GF

SV

K/BB rate

2021

1.29

2.11

0.962

71/51

24

9.6/2.1

2022

1.36

1.98

0.729

77/67

42

9..5/1.2

2023

3.22

2.91

1.156

75/65

44

7.9/2.0

Clase is nasty. What's wild is that his K rates aren't higher, but it's because people put weak contact on the ball so often. His cutter is other-worldly, and it's really hard to square up on. Guys don't barrel him up (88th percentile), and they hit a ton of grounders (93rd percentile).

His contract is also really strong to have as well. Since he is so young, he is pretty cost-efficient, and even signed an extension already. It's essentially 5YR/$33M, with some incentives that can add a bit, but not a ton, to it. He's going to be 26 next season, so you could argue he is just entering his prime.

It's worth contemplating about over-usage, though. That's a lot of appearances over the last three years, throwing 224 games. Add him to the Mariners, and you might be able to limit appearances by all three of Munoz, Brash, and Clase. Also, just saying that trio gets me giddy.

It's gonna take a bit to get him, but Cleveland does like pitching. Would some type of deal involving Woo or Miller for Clase be the starting point here... and would it be worth it? I never know what's going on in the mind of Jerry and Co, but it sure is fun to think about.

Go out and get Emmanuel Clase, Seattle, and roll out one of the most dominant bullpens that has ever been seen.

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