The Mariners are letting teams know that Jesus Montero and Justin Smoak are available in trade talks, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). The report comes on the heels of the Mariners striking deals to add Corey Hart and Logan Morrison to their lineup.
As our Steve Adams pointed out on Wednesday, the signing of Hart and acquisition of Morrison called Montero's and Smoak's roles into question. While it's not clear exactly what position Seattle would be targeting in trade talks, the club clearly hopes to contend in 2014 and would likely prefer immedate contributors to prospects.
Both Montero and Smoak arrived in Seattle as part of major trades. Montero was acquired from the Yankees in a 2012 swap for Michael Pineda, while Smoak was part of the package the Mariners received from the Rangers in exchanged for Cliff Lee in 2010.
So far, neither player has produced as the M's had anticipated, though Smoak enjoyed the best season of his career in 2013, hitting .238/.334/.412 with 20 homers in 512 plate appearances. Montero had a disastrous campaign, underperforming early in the year before suffering a torn meniscus and then receiving a 50-game suspension as part of the Biogenesis case.
Seattle had the choice of getting Chris Davis from Tex. I really don’t think it’s that hard to be a scout some times. Davis has amazing power from day 1. Trade Smoak to Philly for C. Lee.
Perhaps dealing Conger or Iannetta would do the trick. Monte to could share time at C and DH the rest of the time. Probably would have to take a slight cut at DH when Pujols and Hamilton need to be there. But I doubt Montero would complain given his recent struggles. Unless they do actually sign Raul Ibanez, which I think is what they’re leaning towards.
Totally agreed, unfortunatley they have Zunino coming up. I was thinking Cron for Montero would be better
You’ve got to be joking.
I think we’re leaning towards signing Ibanez too, but I would hope they look into Smoak first. If he’s not too expensive value-wise, I’d love to trade Conger or Iannetta for him. Better to have a pre-arb, young, 1b “project” of sorts that can possibly turn into something better later down the road.
I don’t think the M’s would deal Smoak to the Angels. Perhaps, but inner-division trades are pretty rare, especially with someone “promising” like Smoak.
I realize he was previously dealt to the M’s from the Rangers, but that was under completely different circumstances (obviously). The Rangers were in the middle of a World Series run and thought Cliff Lee — who was going to be a free agent in 3 months anyway — was the answer.
Promising? Are you kidding? Smoak is over 1800 at bats and still cant even produce replacement level War, he is a bust.
Smoak for Lee. Who on earth would take that deal?
The sox already have 3 1B/DH types, why should they jump in on this? He’s a terrible catcher
Can the M’s stay out off the news for 5 minutes? They seem to be connected to just about everyone.
This isn’t connecting us to anybody. It’s telling people that we have spare parts for sale.
I know. I was saying that everybody and their uncle is saying that Seattle is hot on Choo/Cruz/Tanaka/Santana/Price… ect
But they are….?
Realistically they are only going to get one maybe two.
Its more like telling people you busted on two huge trades and need to be bailed out
Well Lee didn’t stick around in Texas very long and Pineda is doing no better that Montero.
Yeah, not for nothing, but I think Seattle would much rather have Lee and Pineda at the moment.
I would love to see the Angels make a run at Montero as a C/1b/DH player. This guy is about 18 months off from having just about the fastest bat speed of any prospect in baseball, good power and a great batting eye. Although he may not be a defensive guy, this guy could easily change scenes and become a David Ortiz type player.
Being out of favor I wonder if a pair of young B- players gets it done. (Yarburough and Bedrosian)
Why on earth would the Angels deplete an already weak farm system further for a bad player in Montero?
It probably wouldn’t take much to acquire Montero, given his struggles. Doubt anyone gives up a top prospect for him. The Angels would probably just have to give up a prospect that will likely never climb the depth chart simply because of the years of control over quality players they’ve obtained this offseason, in addition to the years of control they have over their entire roster. Plus, Montero would add to those years of control for them anyways. As of right now, all but maybe 4 or 5 spots on their entire major league roster are blocked for the next 3 years. Part of what the Angels are doing is accumulating as much control as they can to allow room to contend and replenish their farm system, which began with the enormous amount of pitchers they drafted this year. Montero would fit right into that plan.
I just don’t see him fitting here at the ML level. If Ibanez is signed then theres a solid DH for a year. After that CJ Cron should be ready to contribute. Montero would be a waste.
Perhaps dealing Conger or Iannetta would do the trick. Monte to could share time at C and DH the rest of the time. Probably would have to take a slight cut at DH when Pujols and Hamilton need to be there. But I doubt Montero would complain given his recent struggles. Unless they do actually sign Raul Ibanez, which I think is what they’re leaning towards.
Ok Mariners, you need a SP but you don’t want to give up Walker or Hultzen. So as a Cubs fan I think both teams could match up nicely on a deal for Jeff Samardjiza. Cubs get Montero, Paxton, and Tyler Pike
They don’t want to give up Paxton. Hultzen had shoulder surgery and may never pitch again.
But you are getting Jeff Samardjiza who is a very solid number 3 starter which he would be in the Mariners rotation and in that ballpark would dominate
That could be Paxton’s floor if he’s solved his little mechanical problem – which he very well could have. SSI studied the footage from his time in the bigs and thinks it’s all a matter of him getting reps in and getting comfortable before he destroys the league.
Take out Pike and I’d be ok with that as an M’s fan. Then again I seem to be much more skeptical than the average M’s fan about Paxton. Four nice starts at the end of the season just don’t ease my concerns about his mechanics, consistency and command issues. Great upside but he still has red flags in my book.
It would have to take Pike in this deal. Cubs would be taking a bit of a gamble on Montero and they want a younger pitching prospect with a lot of upside
The M’s shouldn’t be dealing 2 very high upside pitching prospects for 2 arbitration years of a #3. The M’s do have a lot of other young talent that could make a Samardjia deal work though if the Cubs do decide to trade him.
M’s fans have been putting Paxton in trade scenarios all offseason. If anything Paxton is undervalued, and that’s why I’d be leery of trading him. At least Walker is highly regarded and the M’s can expect some kind of impact player in return.
Whether or not fans over or under value him, the front office sure seems to think very highly of him saying that they wouldn’t want to include him in a deal for Price. I’d be OK with dealing Paxton for the right return but if there’s no deal to make, then they shouldn’t force the issue. He is certainly a great prospect despite his potential red flags.
Walker on the other hand shouldn’t be dealt at all IMO unless its for something really, really good and locked up for many years.
Montero, Smoak, Noesi, and Hultzen for Samardjiza. Mostly throwing Noesi in just to get rid of him. I want him no where near a Seattle Pitchers Mound.
So a guy who underwent shoulder surgery, two first baseman, when that’s one of the few things the major league cubs have, and a pitcher you just want to get rid of?
a sort C-ish type guy, a 1B, a “promising” pitcher, and Noesi. None of this is serious. Not one bit.
Two years too late for Smoak. Oh well. I won’t be sad to see you go.
Both Montero and Smoak have been HUGE dissapointments since they arrived here in Seattle. Smoak is a fantastic first baseman though, hopefully we could package them both and get a player who gets on base on a conistant bases. And hopefully we sign a star pitcher to our lineup. I’d like to see Cruz and Price come here. Felix, Iwakuma, and Price would be the best 1-2-3 rotation in the majors. Lets show Cano he made the right choice on coming here.
im a big M’s fan but that would not be the best rotation in majors, possibly in a year if they got tanaka instead of santana.
Oakland, Texas, and Anaheim are still better than seattle. Seattle needs to stop doing what the marlins did.
That doesn’t even make sense.
I think he’s talking about when they signed Reyes, Buehrle, etc. and still only won 69 games because those transactions didn’t make them nearly the best team in the division.
They should give montero a half year in aaa then decide if they wanna trade him when he value isnt at all time low
They should send him to AAA. Period. Until he brings his value up or can contribute to the big league team.
I know this might sounds stupid but smoak and montero for wieters. would help both teams. orioles would get 2 hitters filling Catcher and DH and Seattle would get A great Catcher. Orioles might have to put in a Matusz or Gausman.
Montero is not a catcher, he’s been on two teams and both have basically told the world he has no buisness behind the plate. He may still have a career (I never loved his bat like others) but it’ll be at 1B or DH.
he was atrocious behind the plate.
M’s already have arguably the league’s top catching prospect in Mike Zunino.
He’s not even in the top 100. There are other catchers better.
I am not crowning him the undisputed best prospect at Catcher, but who is better???
I just looked up the top catching prospects in baseball. Zunino is not even in the top 20 among catchers. Not sure why. Something must be wrong if Zunino is highly regarded
My guess is that he had enough plate appearances with the Mariners to take him away from prospect status. He’s certainly still a prospect in my eyes though, as he was only drafted a few years ago and has not even played a full season in the bigs yet.
Who is being listed at the top in most places???
D’Arnaud is listed on the top. I can’t post the link , but it’s on a website called scouting books.
He’s not going to be on those top 100 lists anymore because he is technically no longer rookie eligible. He was Baseball America’s (and most other sites) #1 catching prospect before the start of the season and #17 overall.
Might have to put in Gausman is huge, easily a dealbreaker. Weiters and Gausman for Smoak and Montero is not a good trade for the Orioles.
Smoak’s a good buy low I think, at least as a platoon player anyway. This season he hit .260/.361/.477 vs RHP which doesn’t make a superstar but will play at first base against 3/4th of the league. Moving out of Seattle should help too since he had pretty large home/road splits.
What about Montero for Marco Estrada?
We were all expecting Smoak to become available. A little surprised by Montero, but he has not fully developed either. Maybe looking to get some value out of them while they can.
Beckham,Smoak,Jose Q. To the Rays,Mike Zunino,Montero,Franklin to White Sox and Dunn,Price and Daza to Mariners. Rays solve 1B,get another SP. White Sox get a Catcher,2B. Mariners get what they want Price and a CF.
The Rays are laughing at this deal. The White Sox are taking it all day long. The Mariners are looking for a catcher with too many OF/DH/1B types in the picture.
That’s a terrible trade from a Mariner perspective. They have no need for Dunn and it’s giving up way too much for the others.
White Sox should jump on Montero.
I don’t want the White Sox to trade for cheaters.
I don’t want Flowers playing full-time even more.
Then release jose quintana ….
I was hoping to get Smoak last spring, but think he has upped his value now. He won’t be the superstar, but he should be able to be a solid 1B.
Honestly I’d probably just sign Kendrys after I trade Smoak to Tampa or Pittsburgh
Sign Kendry Morales, acquire Ike Davis & Curtis Granderson, and trade Logan Morrison or Dustin Ackley, Jesus Montero, and pitcher Tyler Pike, and catcher John Hicks to the Minnesota a Twins for Vance Worley or Ricky Nolasco (2nd or 3rd starting pitcher behind King Felix & Iwakuma) and Josh Willingham. Both Corey Hart & Willingham can DH/playing outfield to provide some power in the starting lineup.
1. Franklin or Miller
2. Kyle Seager
3. Robinson Cano
4. Curtis Granderson
5. Josh Willingham
6. Ike Davis
7. Corey Hart
8. Mike Zunino
9. Willie Bloomquist/Dustin Ackley or LoMo
I’d love Smoak on the Angels instead of Ibanez or another older guy. He’s still super cheap with a ton of switch hitting power. I mean, we just got rid of Trumbo, so it’s time to get another bat with power that doesn’t get on base too much!
Package Smoak, Nick Franklin or Brad Miller, and catcher Bantz to the New York Mets for Ike Davis & Curtis Granderson since the Mariners have Robinson Cano at second base (could move Franklin to shortstop if Miller is the one traded as he can start over Tejada that can be traded for some pitching help). Raul Ibanez can return to NYC to sign w/ the Mets if Eric or Chris Young can play centerfield. Cano/Granderson reunion in Seattle will help the team to get back on track reaching the playoffs after a decade of losing seasons. Both Davis & Smoak will benefit a change of scenery switching leagues.
I think the Mariners should be careful about trading Smoak. He’s still the best 1B on their roster, is still young, and showed improvement last season.
In other news, I’ve made my dying cat available to anyone who wants him.
Anyone remember when Montero was a “budding superstar” with the Yankees? lol
Still haven’t seen any satisfactory summation of the extent of Montero’s involvement with Biogenesis. I don’t know of any injuries he ever had to rehab before the meniscus injury, so people are probably safe in assuming the association was significant. But what if it wasn’t?
His footwork, running, pitch-calling… all of it was bad. The Dave Cameron-types picked apart his approach at the plate and found it wanting. His work ethic has routinely been called into question and justifiably so. I get all that.
Nonetheless, I can’t suppress this gut feeling that the Mariners and their fans have given up on the kid way too easily and way too quickly. The Mariners seemed to lack any confidence in the kid after the first sign of trouble and it calls into question why they were so high on him in the first place. I’m more inclined to accept at face value the recent reports of dysfunction in the front office and it makes me wonder whether talent evaluation ever signed off on Montero at all, instead signaling that their initial pursuit of Montero (in the proposed Lee trade) and eventual acquisition was more a result of the F.O. being dazzled by the (perceived accurately or not) hyping of East Coast prospects. I recall there was a league-wide belief that he was a real deal, so maybe the scouting staff did stand behind acquiring him.
2013 was a wash, sure. He may not have been competently evaluated by the M’s scouting staff, sure. But I’d prefer to see the M’s give the kid a chance in 2014 to restore his reputation and his value rather than simply giving up on him when his value is the lowest and his prospects for the future most unclear. If he can hit at all like Yankees fans used to say, it could work out. Maybe the reunion with Cano could pay dividends. At the least, holding on to him gives them options should the health of Hart or Morrison waver. I’d also hate to see the M’s get the bad end of another trade if Montero takes off someplace else.
Maybe the Pirates can take a run at Justin Smoak for 1B?
I think Smoak is the best option left for the Pirates. His numbers against RHP pitching last year were quite good (.839 OPS and 134 WRC+) and getting away from the pitchers parks of the AL West could help his power numbers. The Mariners desperately need OF help so I’d offer Jose Tabata or Travis Snider + a prospect or excess reliever and see if they bite.
Alright, it looks like I’m going to be in the minority on this one, so I’ll just blurt out a hearty, “Hallelujah!”
I’ve been hoping the M’s would dump these two “prospects” for a couple of years. They both are clearly in over their heads at the MLB level, and no amount of years under their belts will make one whit of difference with their batting or on-field play.
Dump them now, before what little trade value they have dries up. Let some other team give those two a roster spot, and watching them continue to grovel in their never-ending “prospect” status that M’s management so blithely and continuously pins on these guys.
Good Riddance to Smoak and Montero. It was ugly while it lasted.
Maurer and Montero for Colby Rasmus?