Trade Deadline Predictions

By Anthony

Well the time of year has come again, time for teams to decide whether to be contenders or wave the flag of surrender and build for the future, time for teams to become buyers and sellers. For those of you who have been living underneath a mountain with their eyes closed humming to themselves all year, the Mariners will be sellers. This article is going to explore who we have to trade, to whom we can trade to and whom we can expect in return. 

The Options to Trade

Jason Vargas

This is going to break Patrick’s heart but he is probably our best option to move and get some legitimate prospects in return. He may have been an inconsistent lefty in past years but now he has gained some sort of consistency and performances like the other night against Oakland can only boost his stock. He does have a home run problem, his HR/9 is at 1.64, and his pitching in the wilds of Safeco has definitely helped him. However his K% is up, his BB% is down and his GB% is up. All good factors that have led to Vargas having his best year as a Mariner and in a relatively shallow pitching market that is always a good thing. 

Kevin Millwood

Yes, Kevin Millwood is super old and has had injury problems this year that could scare many teams away. He will have to prove his durability throughout the month of July but his first start back was impressive and he has shown that he can still dominate teams like he did a decade ago. He doesn’t give up any home runs and is keeping the ball on the ground at a near career high. He could be a dirt-cheap veteran that some teams want coming into the playoff stretch. I also do not like him so I may inflate his value to talk myself into getting rid of him. 

Ichiro Suzuki

Now for a second ignore the fact that Nintendo owns the Mariners, that Ichiro is one of the major attractions to the club for Japanese fans and that he has spent the past 11 years on the team as a fan favorite. He is blocking Casper Wells from getting the consistent playing time he needs; Ichiro is hitting .260 and is only slugging .351. But tell me that some GM wouldn’t jump at the chance to land one of the best hitters in the last decade. He may be aging but Ichiro still plays above average defense and can steal bases. Of course, Nintendo does own the Mariners and I find it hard that they would allow Jack Z to trade away the fan favorite. 

Tom Wilhelmsen

Geoff Baker wrote an article arguing why Tom Wilhelmsen is our most valuable trade chip right now. In short, he is a really good closer and is really cheap. I cannot argue either of those points but as a fan I don’t want to see Wilhelmsen leave. He is one of my favorites and seems like a guy we can build a bullpen around. But closers are very valuable around the deadline and for one as cheap as Wilhelmsen, we could get a very handsome return.

Charlie Furbush

For many of the same reasons that Wilhelmsen is here, cheap and effective, Furbush is also potentially valuable. I doubt he will be a headliner in any deal but he could be a second guy, like David Pauley, that makes a trade happen. 

Brandon League

This was supposed to our major trade chip at the deadline, but Brandon decided to choke away this year and was replaced as closer. At this rate he has lost almost all value he had after continuing to struggle in the seventh and eighth innings. Could be a throw in to a deal.

Brendan Ryan

Umm… I guess defensive replacement in late innings. Its not often that a guy hitting under .200 gets moved but Ryan does play an incredible shortstop. 

Teams Who Could Want to Make a Deal

The Mariners have pitching and lots of it, so ideally most teams we trade with will want pitching.

Boston Red Sox

• Seem to always be involved in some deals around the deadline
• Could use some bullpen and starting pitching help
• Have to keep up with ridiculously good AL East

Toronto Blue Jays

• Are finally putting together a competitive team
• Need to play catch up in AL East
• Fifth starter is Aaron Laffey.
• I will reiterate, their fifth starter is Aaron Laffey…

Cleveland Indians

• Need to try and catch up to White Sox
• Have some of the worst pitching in the league
• Their 4^th starter, Josh Tomlin, has an ERA of above 5

Arizona Diamondbacks

• Really need pitching
• Have resorted to 3^rd overall pick Trevor Bauer as fifth starter
• Josh Collmenter is 4^th starter
• Bullpen features one Mike Zagurski who has an ERA above 5

St. Louis Cardinals

• Need bullpen help
• Former Mariner Maikel Cleto is their long guy
• Has an ERA of 7

Atlanta Braves

• After Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson, their rotation is Jurrjens, Minor and Delgado
• Need depth and lots of it

Players Who We Could Acquire Through Trades or Magic

The Mariners need hitting and lots of it so that will ideally be what they are shopping for. These guys may not necessarily be traded but could be in the discussion plus some lower tier prospects. The Mariners need a shortstop, outfielders and potentially a first baseman. 

Boston

• Jose Iglesias SS- Excellent glove and a sub par to average bat. Fills in a need at SS since Franklin will move to second and potentially Ackley to the outfield. Think of Brendan Ryan but with a better bat.
• Lars Andersen 1B- Big powerful first baseman who strikes out too often and doesn’t walk a lot. Could challenge Smoak and Carp
• Henry Ramos OF- Young switch hitting outfielder with some power. Could use some time to develop

Toronto Blue Jays

• Moises Sierra OF- Power hitting outfielder who doesn’t walk a lot and strikes out a bunch. Is hitting very well in AAA
• Adeiny Hechavarria SS- Besdies having an awesome name, Adeiny is hitting like an animal in AAA with both power and speed. Would be awesome if we got him. 
• Michael McDade 1B- Defensively McDade is not the best and his power numbers aren’t off the charts but he has good gap power and can actually take a few walks. 

Cleveland Indians

• Tyler Holt OF- Fast, contact hitter who probably doesn’t hit enough to earn a lead off spot. Plays solid defense but is still in AA..
• Jesus Aguilar 1B- Is only in A+ ball but is slugging over .500 and offsets a 20% K rate with a 10% BB rate. Could be a nice snag.
• Ronny Rodriguez SS- Is only 20 years old but is already in A+ ball and is hitting for power as well as flashing some good speed. Is liked a lot by the Indians though.

Diamondbacks

• Mark Krauss OF- In his second year at the AA level, Krauss is cleaning up. His OPS is above.900 and his walk rate is at 15%. Defensively fills in at a corner spot.
• Chris Owings SS- Owings is only 21 and has made it up to AA. However, his approach at the plate is terrible featuring a 2% walk rate and a 24% K rate. Needs to show some improvement but is still young and has room to grow.
• Bobby Borchering 1B/ 3B- Similar to Owings in that he recently made it up to AA but is a year older. Also strikes out too much and doesn’t walk enough. Does have some nice power though

St. Louis Cardinals

• Ryan Jackson SS- The first thing that comes up with Jackson is his fielding skills but his bat is not too shabby either. More like a rich mans Brendan Ryan with equal fielding skills and an improved bat. 
• Charlie Tilson OF- Is really raw and young but is a superb athlete. Needs a lot of seasoning and time to make it to the big leagues but his athleticism is very impressive. Could be a sleeper
• Matt Adams 1B- Is a big reach but Adams is country strong. He is a big boy who still needs some time in AAA but definitely has some impressive power numbers and could be a first baseman of the future

Atlanta Braves

• Joe Terdoslavich 1B- A switch hitting first baseman who started the year in AA and was bumped up only to struggle at AAA. Has shown enough power to allow for a poor approach at the plate.
• Matt Lipka OF- A former infielder who struggled at the plate, Lipka has shown a good approach at the plate but is still young. Has time to develop some power and improve overall at the plate.
• Edward Salcedo SS- Will probably not stick at SS because of his limited range but has shown lots of power. Is still young but has shown speed and power. A very nice combination to find in a prospect

This is only a brief rundown of the thousands of prospects the Mariners could look at and ask for in return for some of our players. This list will probably be updated and changed as we hear more closer to the deadline. So stay tuned and go M’s.