Grading all 12 trades the Mariners and Jerry Dipoto made during the 2023-24 offseason

4. 11/17/2023 - Mariners trade RHP Isaiah Campbell to the Boston Red Sox for INF Luis Urias

Here is where we find the first bad grade for this offseason. It has little to do with losing Isaiah Campbell, who I really liked, and more to do with Urias. Luis Urias was a top prospect at one point for the San Diego Padres, before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. He had a really good 2021 season, hitting .249/.345/.445/.789. He had an OPS+ of 112, noticably higher than his career OPS+ of 97.

The Brewers ended up trading Urias to the Red Sox at the deadline in 2023, seemingly giving up on him due to poor performance. He did not fare better in Bean Town at all, so what gives? This quote from Moneyball fits perfectly here. "Luis Urias. Who? Exactly. Sounds like a Seattle Mariner already". Yeah, I changed the name and the team name, but you get it. Jerry and Co. must feel like there is still juice to squeeze from Urias, and should he be the starting third baseman for the Mariners, I hope there is. Maybe I am wrong, but I give this trade a solid D. Priove me wrong, Luis!

5. 11/22/2023 - Mariners trade 3B Eugenio Suarez to the Arizona Diamondbacks for RHP Carlos Vargas and C Seby Zavala

This trade was really the first surprise trade of the offseason, and it did not go over well with fans or players. Suarez was a leader in the clubhouse and was viewed that way by fans too. Sure, he struck out a lot (and I mean A LOT), but who would the team get to replace him? This is still a major question today as it was back then.

But when you take a deep dive into Suarez's 2023, you understand why the Mariners had to move him. He led the American League in strikeouts, his bat speed was rapidly diminishing, and his power was dropping. The Mariners were looking to shed strikeouts, and between trading Suarez and not bringing back Teoscar Hernandez, they did just that. Luis Urias and Josh Rojas seem to be battling for the starting third base job in spring, so we will have to wait and see how this pans out.

The Mariners got Carlos Vargas and Seby Zavala for Suarez, which at the time seemed light. Given Suarez's 2023, and his contract, this seems like it could be a good trade. Carlos Vargas is wild, but he has some really solid pitches. Zavala is not the backup catcher, taking over that duty from Tom Murphy. Is Zavala going to be better than Murphy was? Probably not. But Murphy had a tough time staying healthy, and Zavala does not. And Zavala is much cheaper on the books than Murphy, Today, I am giving this trade a C+. It has the potential to be much higher than that if Vargas turns into something, and Zavala fulfills his expectations for 2024.