In the last week or so, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from people wondering what to make of all these trades we’ve seen in such a short amount of time, and it really has been a busy first couple of weeks for new General Manager Jerry Dipoto.
Firstly, let’s all give a hearty welcome to new Mariners, Leonys Martin, Joaquim Benoit, Anthony Bass, Boog Powel, Nathan Karns and C.J. Riefenhauser.
Welcome to Safeco Field, gentlemen. You’ll find a long-sleeved shirt and some locally roasted coffee in your locker.
Secondly, let’s all take a moment to bid adieu to former Mariners Logan Morrison, Brad Miller, Tom Wilhelmsen, Danny Farquar and James Jones. Sometimes change is hard, but the reality is, it’s also usually good for everybody involved. We’ve had some good times, but obviously none of those times were good enough.
Change is hard. When you know the faces and names of players, you know their flaws and their stories, it’s hard to suddenly find out while innocently scrolling through Facebook that we’re not going to see them at the ballpark anymore. We all know about how Tom Wilhelmsen quit baseball and was bartending in the southwest for a time before making his way back and dominating for a time as a closer.
Some of us have looked at Brad Miller’s numbers and thought, Damn, this guy might actually be really, really good if he can figure out a couple of things. Miller’s set of skills as a middle-infielder with power and the ability to take a walk always made him an interesting player, and lead plenty of smarter baseball people than myself to think he could be one of the more valuable shortstops in the league sooner than later. Frankly, I’m surprised Billy Beane hasn’t found a way to get a hold of him yet.
Those guys were likeable and talented players, but they were expendable, and it’s a great sign for the Mariners that Dipoto isn’t attached to them.
Mr. Dipoto has done exactly what he said he would thus far. He wanted to get more athletic in the outfield and add speed and defense. In Leonys Martin, the Mariners newest addition, he acquired one of the better defensive centerfielders in the league. Martin had a down year in 2015, hitting a meager .219/.264/.313. Those numbers were likely impacted by a hand injury and a battle for playing time that he apparently lost to Delino Deshields.
When healthy, he projects to be roughly a .260/.320/.680 hitter with a cannon for an arm, 30+ steal capability and incredible defense at one of the most important positions on the field.
If Leonys can get back on track, he’ll be an extremely valuable player that Dipoto bought low on. It’s worth noting that he’s hit over .290 in Safeco field and played his best baseball under Texas Rangers interim-manager, Tim Bogar, who is now the bench coach for your Seattle Mariners. Factor all of that stuff into trade and I love this move. Seriously, you guys are going to enjoy watching this guy play centerfield at Safeco Field.
The Mariners now have outfield options including Nelson Cruz, Seth Smith, Leonys Martin, Franklin Gutierrez, Boog Powell and Shawn O’Malley. And Dipoto says he’s not done adding to that group! So far, he’s done what he’s said he would every step of the way. I’d look for the Mariners to find a way to add an outfielder who can play at least two outfield spots well and hit for some power.
While the Mariners do have Nelson Cruz, common sense and a little simple math will show you that he’s a much more valuable player if he’s not playing defense at all. I know that he wants to be out there in the field, but I’m hoping that isn’t going to be the plan too many days of the week. Jerry Dipoto seems focused on finding players with a higher on-base percentage, and he’s done a good job finding them. But think about this: on a day when Cruz is your DH you might end up with an outfield including Seth Smith, Leonys Martin and Franklin Gutierrez. Not exactly an offensive juggernaut. And with Trumbo as your only real first basemen, as Montero still hasn’t proven he can play at the major-league level, you don’t really have a proven DH behind Nelson Cruz either.
I love the moves Dipoto has made so far, but I think they still need to sign Iwakuma, sign a back-up catcher and obtain an outfielder with a proven bat. If they can do that, I think they’ll be just about done.
Some rumors circulating the M’s have been about their interest in Chris Iannetta. Iannetta makes a lot of sense, as he’s a catcher who can get on base and played in Anaheim when Dipoto was the GM for the Angels. I think a deal will get done in the next couple of weeks, if Iannetta is willing to play behind Zunino.
As far as outfielders with some pop goes, the pickings are slim. And many of the players that are available would cost the Mariners a draft pick, as the team would lose a pick if they sign a player who received a qualifying offer from their previous club.
The obvious, and probably unlikely answer, is Yoenis Cespedes. Because he was traded midseason in 2015, Cespedes cannot receive a qualifying offer, which makes him one of the more interesting sluggers on the market. Also, he can hit and play all three outfield positions.
Cespedes comes with some risks, as his defense has been streaky and some speculate that he’s actually older than his listed age of 31. Scandalous, right?
He has put up some great numbers though and has the tools to garner a large multiyear deal from some team, and I’d be surprised if the ownership group in Seattle is willing to add another long term, multi-million dollar contract.
Cespedes would make our batting order terrifying. A murderers row of Cano, Cruz, Seager, Cespedes and Trumbo could make for some lopsided wins. The Mariners lost far too many close games last year and it would be refreshing to be on the right side of a few more lopsided wins in 2016.
It’s nice to have our heads in the clouds, thinking about Cespedes coming to Seattle, but we’re probably just dreaming. The good news is, for once I don’t feel like I’m setting myself up for disappointment. Even if we don’t go after Cespedes, Dipoto has said he’s planning on adding another outfielder, and prioritizing the re-signing of Hisashi Iwakuma. And so far, I’ve been a fan of every move he’s made. I’m feeling a strange and unfamiliar feeling toward a Seattle GM, I think it’s called… trust?
It’s only been a couple of weeks since the Royals took home the trophy, and our Mariners have already made three pretty significant trades. The Winter Meetings are right around the corner, pitchers and catchers will be reporting before we know it, and I can’t wait to meet the next players we’ll be welcoming to Seattle.
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