Break up the Big Three? And to the Royals?

By Patrick

Winter is coming. By winter, I mean three really good pitchers

In 2014-ish, the Mariners should have one of the most formidable young rotations in baseball, with an extended Felix Hernandez joined by any number of four young pitchers who have proven themselves to be studs at the minor league level. The three superstars of the Mariners' system are Taijuan Walker, Danny Hultzen and James Paxton, affectionately referred to as the Big Three. They're basically LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, except they play baseball, haven't won a championship, and haven't played at the major league level yet. However, all that should change in 2013, when all three will likely make their debuts in Seattle. Hultzen may break camp with the team, whereas Walker and Paxton will likely start in AAA.

All of this means that the future is getting closer by the second. The Mariners window for future success is almost open. And at least at this point, the offense doesn't appear ready to seize that opportunity when it comes. However, the Mariners could drastically bolster their offense by trading young pitching for young hitting, much like they did when they acquired Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda last January. In theory, if a move like that were to occur, the M's would have to throw in one of the Big Three to get maximum value out of such a deal. The question, should they?

According to Geoff Baker and Buster Olney in a compiled report on MLBTradeRumors.com, the Royals have actively been scouting Paxton in the Arizona Fall League. For those who don't remember the eight games between the Mariners and Royals in 2012, the Royals cannot pitch for shit. In two four-games series in July, the M's scored 52 runs. Jesus Montero hit like .600. The Mariners beat Bruce Chen. THE MARINERS BEAT BRUCE CHEN! The Royals, by extension, need pitching, and not just rent-a-pitching, but young, talented pitching that can contribute for years to come.

The Mariners have a similar need, except that theirs is on the hitting side. The Mariners need some young, talented hitting that will actually contribute (Justin Smoak doesn't count) for years to come. Ironically, the Royals have a surplus in this area. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon and to a certain extent, Billy Butler fit the Mariners area of need quite well.

Of those four, Alex Gordon stands out as a perfect candidate for the Mariners to trade for. Gordon has hit .303 and .294 the last two seasons while missing a grand total of 12 games. He missed one game last season. He's also a gap power left fielder who can run fairly well.

In case you don't understand part of the reason this blog is named Way Out In Left Field, the Mariners have only had two players in franchise history log 150 games in left field in one season. The only good left fielder the Mariners have ever had was Raul Ibanez. That's it and that's all. A player like Gordon could change that.

But is the likely price of Paxton and another much younger prospect worth the move for the Mariners? Maybe. Paxton is certainly the "Chris Bosh" of the super threesome, having struggled with some injuries and ultimately projected as the "worst" of the Big Three. Would just two super awesome young pitchers be enough for the Mariners to work with?

As tempting as Gordon and his fellow teammates are on paper, the Mariners have to hold on to their entire core of young pitching. If the Royals would except Erasmo Ramirez in place of Paxton, then maybe Jack Z pulls the trigger. However, the motto in all four of Jack Z's years with the organization has been building from within and eventually winning with that talent. Young hitters like Mike Zunino, Stefan Romero and Nick Franklin offer hope that with additions of quality veteran free agents, the Mariners can win without having to deal the deep pitching that will take them to the next level.

As the San Francisco Giants are showing in the World Series right now, pitching depth is huge once the playoffs begin. The Giants have four quality starters, and a fifth with two Cy Youngs on his resume that bridges the gap from starters to shut down relievers. The Mariners will have all of those by 2014. For now, they need young hitters to continue to progress to get them to the playoffs. What they can't afford to do is deal one of the Big Three and risk losing out on an incredible talent for the seasons in their window of opportunity. As tempting as Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas are, Tai Walker, Danny Hultzen and James Paxton are ours, and you can't have them. Go Mariners.