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

While the offseason started slow for the Seattle Mariners, i was surprised at the actual number of trades the front office managed to pull off. 12! I would have guessed less than 12, which was a bit of a shock. Some trades were small, blink-and-you-missed-it types, and some were franchise-altering moves. Were they all good trades? No. But is the team now better in 2024 than they were in 2023? I think so. Today, I will grade all of the trades made this offseason, going in order of oldest to the most recent.

1. 11/2/2023 - Mariners trade cash considerations to the Pittsburgh Pirates for RHP Cody Bolton.

Okay, I know this trade is not going to move the needle too much for most Mariners fans. Cody Bolton has struggled in his short stint in the Majors so far in his career, pitching to a 6.33 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP in just 21,1innings. His 6.3 walks per 9 innings is worrisome, but he does have the tools to become a good reliever. You can read more about him here. Overall, I think this trade is good. A toolsy reliever for some cash. Low risk, maybe high reward? Overall, I give this trade a solid B.

2. 11/3/2023 - Mariners send RHP Riley O'Brien to the St. Louis Cardinals for Cash Considerations

This trade was about as small as they come, and most Mariners fans may not even know who Riley O'Brien is. He pitched just 1 inning for the Mariners in 2023 before being sent back down to Tacoma. He struck out a ton of batters in Tacoma last year, 14.1 batters per 9 innings. He walks guys too much (5.1 batters per innings), and he was moved to clear a roster spot. Should he stop walking people, O'Brien has a chance to be a good reliever in The Show. I give this trade a B, just because the roster spot may be worth more than what O'Brien can provide at this time.

3. 11/6/2023 - Mariners trade catching prospect Tatem Levins to the Tampa Bay Rays for catching prospect Blake Hunt.

This trade flew under the radar for most Mariners fans, and that is understandable. Blake Hunt needed to be added to the 40-man roster for the Rays, or he would have been subject to the Rule 5 draft in December, where he was sure to be taken by another team. Hunt has not appeared in the Majors yet in his career, but he is viewed as a Major League ready catcher. Between AA and AAA in 2023, he hit .256/.331/.484/.815 with 12 home runs in 246 at-bats.

He is not a top 100 prospect, and may not even be a top 30 prospect for the Mariners entering this year. But he will help the organization's catching depth, and will surely make his MLB debut this season. Cal Raleigh and Seby Zavala occupy the 26-man roster spots for now, but a strong showing from Hunt in spring training may force the Mariners to add him to the roster. If not, He will be the starting catcher in Tacoma and wait for an injury/poor performance from Zavala. I grade this trade a B+.

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.

8. 1/5/2024 - Mariners send INF Jose Caballero to the Tampa Bay Rays for 1B/OF Luke Raley

January 5th was such an exciting day. First came the news of the Robbie Ray trade, then, what, 15 minutes later came the news of this trade. I understand if people had to look up Luke Raley's name and stats before you could react to this trade. While Luke Raley is not a household name quite yet, Mariners fans should be thrilled with this move.

According to a friend of mine, who is in the know with the Tampa Bay Rays, Luke Raley might be one of the most underrated players in the game. He has taken the "Mitch Haniger" path to the Majors, as he is somewhat of a late bloomer. His first "full" season was in 2023 with the Rays, where he earned 2.8 bWAR in just 118 games. He hit .249/.333/.490/.824 with a 126 OPS+ (100 being league average). He does strikeout at a high clip (32.2% career K%), which may be his only knock.

I know that Cabby was a fan favorite for Mariners fans. He took his walks, he got plunked a lot, and he sure made a lot of people mad. But he did not do enough at the plate to warrant being an everyday starter, and that is exactly what the Mariners needed. Cabby now gets the chance to be the starting shortstop for the Rays, and we wish him all the best.

I give this trade an A-. Raley has the chance to be a difference-maker for the Mariners, something Jose Caballero just couldn't be. Even if Raley does not take the steps forward needed to be great, the Mariners took a chance on a guy without giving up top prospect talent. These are the kinds of moves that give length to the lineup, and I am here for that.

9. 1/29/2024 - Mariners send RHP Anthony DeSclafani, OF Gabriel Gonzalez, RHP Darren Bowen, RHP Justin Topa and cash considerations to the Minnesota Twins for INF Jorge Polanco

On the surface, I absolutely love this trade. Polanco is a switch-hitting problem at the plate. He gives the Mariners something they have not had since peak Robinson Cano: power from the second base position! He has hit a combined 63 home runs over the past 3 seasons, but it is not just home runs he provides. He has a .796 OPS (3rd best on the 2023 Mariners) and a 120 OPS+ (3rd ranked on the 2023 Mariners) over the past 3 seasons.

He has spent a lot of time on the Injured list over the last 2 seasons, as he only played in 80 games in 2023. He still had 2.0 bWAR in just 80 games. I know it is a lazy way of thinking, but if you double his numbers from 2023 to show a complete season, 4 bWAR from your second baseman is an extreme luxury. He is a serviceable defensive second baseman, but he will not win any gold gloves there.

The Mariners did have to give up a top-100 prospect to get this deal done. Gabby Gonzalez has been shooting up prospect rankings, and deservedly so. He currently ranks at #79 in MLB Pipelines top 100 prospects. He is still a few years away from making it to The Show, but he is an exciting player that I am sure we will miss.

I give this trade a solid A. The front office had to work extremely hard to get this team better on less money, and I think they accomplished that with this trade. Polanco could be here through the 2025 season, should the Mariners exercise his club option after 2024. That is well worth the price paid to get his services.

10. 1/30/2024 - Seattle sends a Player To Be Named Later to the Kansas City Royals for INF/OF Samad Taylor

Samad Taylor is a dark horse candidate to take over the top utility/bench role for the Mariners, and they got him for free (so far). He made his Major League Debut with the Royals last season, hitting just .200 in his 60 at-bats. Small sample size, but Taylor crushed it in AAA in 2023, where he hit .301/.418/.466/.884. He hit 8 home runs and stole 43(!!) bases in AAA last year, something that the Mariners could really use off of the bench.

Taylor can play second base, third base, and every outfield position. He will compete with Dylan Moore, Sam Haggerty, and others for a bench role, and I think he has a great shot to do just that. So for that, I give this trade a B+.

11. 2/3/2024 - Mariners send RHP Prelander Berroa, OF Zach DeLoach and a draft pick to the Chicago White Sox for RHP Gregory Santos

I honestly did not know what to think of this trade, until I looked up Gregory Santos. I was really high on Prelander Berroa, but upon further review, What I wanted Berroa to become is what Gregory Santos is today. He is still just 24 and throws absolute gas. He strikes out opponents right at a 9K/9 inning clip and limits his walks to just 2.3 per 9 innings. Santos immediately comes in to form one of the best 3-headed monsters in the back of the bullpen, along with Andres Munoz and Matt Brash.

The White Sox are rebuilding, so it makes sense for them to move a reliever for some future talent, in both Berroa and DeLoach. The Mariners' 40-man roster is full of lefty outfielders, so DeLoach became expendable. I really like this trade, and that is why I am giving this one a solid A+. This trade immediately makes the Mariners' bullpen stronger, putting less pressure on the starting rotation.

12. 2/12/2024 - Mariners send RHP Darren MCCaughan to the Miami Marlins for Cash Considerations

The last trade of the offseason (so far) was a minor one, as the Mariners needed to clear a spot off of their 40-man roster, and McCaughan was the guy who had to go. While he was on waivers, the Mariners managed to send him to the Marlins for cash considerations. That's about it, honestly. Darren was not going to start here, and now he gets a shot with another organization. It is hard to grade a trade like this, so I will give it a C. Happy for the player, but I wish he could have stuck around for more depth in Tacoma.

There you have it, a grade for all 12 trades from the offseason. If you disagree, let us know on Twitter or Facebook! As always, Go Mariners!