Today we are looking at another trade target for the Mariners. We return to the Reds after we previously looked at Spencer Steer as a trade target. This time we look to their outfield and a breakout 28-year-old who was underrated, and really good!
TJ Friedl is an older outfielder, being 28 years old, who signed with the Reds as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He immediately showed a mature approach and advanced quickly. Debuting in 2021 with a larger sample in 2022, there were a lot of things to like. He proved that by really breaking out in 2023, slashing, .279/.352/.467 with 18 home runs and 27 stolen bases. Those numbers were good for a 116 wRC+ and a 4.4 fWAR.
Friedl is under control through 2029 and won't be ARB-eligible until 2026. With that and his numbers from last year, he possesses a lot of value. His age does sort of hamper the value slightly, though I don't think it will make all that much of a difference. Let's take a look at a couple of trades that I came up with, obviously for one of the Mariners starting pitchers, as this probably starts with at least Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo and the packages can get pretty crazy as you will see!