The Mariners have acquired Chris Denorfia from the Padres in exchange for outfielder Abraham Almonte and minor league right-hander Stephen Kohlscheen, the teams announced.
Denorfia, 34, is hitting just .242/.293/.319 this season, but he’s a proven weapon against left-handed pitching — a clear point of weakness for Seattle. While he hasn’t hit lefties or righties in 2014, Denorfia is a lifetime .301/.367/.447 hitter against southpaws. He’s also a plus defender at either corner outfield spot and can handle center in a pinch, though defensive metrics don’t like his work there.
The Mariners have hit just .244/.298/.371 against left-handed pitching this season, and their outfielders have been even worse against southpaws, hitting a combined .246/.287/.346. Denorfia is a free agent at season’s end.
Almonte, 24, opened the season as Seattle’s leadoff hitter and everyday center fielder, but he struggled offensively, hitting just .198/.248/.292 in 113 plate appearances before being sent down. He’s been markedly better at Triple-A Tacoma, slashing .267/.333/.390 with six homers and seven stolen bases on the season. Baseball America ranked him as Seattle’s No. 17 prospect heading into the season.
As for the 25-year-old Kohlscheen, he was unranked by BA but is enjoying a strong season between Double-A and Triple-A. The Auburn University product, drafted in the 45th round in 2010, has a 2.70 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 56 2/3 innings of relief work this season.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported that Denorfia was going to Seattle (on Twitter), while Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted Abraham’s inclusion, and MLB.com’s Corey Brock tweeted Kohlscheen’s inclusion.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Now go get an arm M’s
for the Wild Card play in game?
To get to the Wild Card game.
I feel like they have the pitching to get them TO the WC game, and obviously the pitcher to get them through it. Adding another pitcher would be a lot considering they are no lock to make the actual playoffs.
Plus, they are getting Paxton back Saturday
We still need a 4th starter. Elias will be shutdown at the end of August and I wouldn’t count on Walker/Paxton for the playoffs, with their injuries this year.
David Price or even Andrew Miller, Price, or Bartolo (plus Napoli & Cespedes) would make sense. Imagine Cespedes playing against his former team on the road in September as a Mariner. That will be something just what Cano experienced going back to the Bronx to play against his former team.
We don’t need Miller. He’s a bullpen arm and we arguably already have the best bullpen in the majors. The Mariners need another bat (Denorfia doesn’t make me happy tbqh) and a 4th starter if they’re serious about the playoffs.
Bartolo or Price would work better than Miller for sure as a second or fourth starting pitcher. Nick Franklin/Brad Miller & Smoak or Montero for Bartolo would work.
For one year + of a 41-year old Colon about to burst? Bartolo doesn’t have that kind of value.
Yea I feel like King Felix is that Wild Card game pitcher. But a solid #2 would do a world of good. But I’d rather keep Paxton and the farm.
Is Iwakuma not a solid #2?
Yes but what I meant is they don’t need another Ace. Like Price, or Hamels. Mat Latos would be great for them though.
We really just need a veteran pitcher that is a solid #3/4.
and 2 bats. This is a non move. Would rather have Kohlscheen.
Yeah because he’s been lighting it up in the minors.
He is doing fine, it’s just that Denorfia is that bad. We already have a Willie Bloomquist type on our team. This only makes sense if they are getting two more bats and Jones is going back to AAA.
He is a virtual no-name. There’s a reason no one had heard of this guy until the trade.
Whelmed. He’s a better CF than Jones and is right handed, but not a good hitter and doesn’t steal many bases. Might be worth 1 win the rest of the way over Jones. Shouldn’t cost much. Jones needs to go back to Tacoma and play CF every day and remember how to hit for power.
Jones doesn’t need to hit for power. Jones needs to be able to handle a
breaking ball and see pitches. He is a top of the line-up bat and should
hit 5-10 HR (if that) a season. Getting on base is much more important
for him.
At least he’s a pinch runner late in the game.
Denorfia is likely going to play a corner OF spot, not center, IMHO. He’s a much better fit there, and the Mariners certainly need to upgrade there with Endy Chavez and Dustin Ackley.
Ackley has been hitting .400+ in July. He is wrecking right now and hitting more to his true potential. He is probably at best a .280 hitter and he’s moving closer and closer to that, and his defense is catching up to his athleticism too. Endy is just a stop-gap till Saunders is healthy.
Yeah, I underestimated Ackley. Forgot he’s having a decent year. But even with Saunders back, Denorfia/Saunders (one at CF) is a pretty sizeable upgrade over Chavez/Jones. I still think it’ll be Saunders in CF, though, and Denorfia in a corner OF spot. Better fit from a fielding perspective.
Yeah Saunders would be the CF in that situation. I don’t want to move Ackley from LF to CF as he’s been doing better and better as the year goes on in LF.
Nice player. Wrong fit for Seattle.
They need to go get price
Three team trade w/ the Cardinals or Pirates definitely would work to acquire both Price and a bat that’s is tradable (Cardinals/Pirates).
Should of received Tyson Ross w/ Denorfia. Please acquire an arm like David Price from the Rays and either Mike Napoli or Yoenis Cespedes (remember when Mark Langston was dealt from the Mariners to the Expos and to the Angels?) from the Red Sox.
Tyson Ross is not available.
ya really
Okay, but Andrew Miller is as a second tier pitcher. Nevermind, as he’s a bullpen insurance. Colon is also available.
What good is Price going to do if the team can’t score runs? The team already has three extremely good pitchers and they can hardly get the 2-3 runs it takes to win those games.
I’m pretty much waiting to hear the Royals have signed Glenallen Hill out of retirement and are optioning him to Omaha to prepare for the stretch run. Veteran presence! You can’t beat veteran presence… especially when the player is closing in on Social Security
Good job Atlanta! Good job! /sarcasm
Half measures
Heres our big bat Mariners fans ROFL
Here’s our role guy that replaces Stefen Romero and spells Saunders when he gets back and needs a day off. Jackson is a bigger bat, not a BIG bat, but replaces James Jones and is a veteran presence at the top of the order.
Not a bad deadline day in Seattle. Maybe they will be able to grab Napoli on a waiver wire deal since Boston picked up that Adams? from the Cards.
Mariners definitely needed more players who hit in the mid 200s and provide no significant upgrade to the offense.
These guys just don’t get it.
Austin Jackson for Nick Franklin is not getting it?
What’s the return on that?
Edit: Heyman says Almonte and “a minor league pitcher”… so, Taijuan Walker, right?
Stephen Kohlscheen
Below average bat with a decent glove, Denorfia should fit in perfectly
What is the deal with the Braves? MINOR improvement players would have made a huge difference to the club. Denorfia, Bonifacio, Cotts, Oliver Perez would have been 4 very solid additions to bolster the club at a relatively cheap price, both in terms of money and prospects. But they have dropped the ball again. Wren needs to go…along with Fredi.
I’m ok with Wren, Fredi & hitting coaches need to go though. I just wish people wouldn’t overvalue prospects. Surely we could have given something closer to this or better for a solid bench bat.
This is the kind of move the Mariners should be making, provided they didn’t give up much for Denorfia. Even though he’s not a great player, he’s a huge upgrade over Endy Chavez, and you avoid sending top prospects just for a chance at one WC game. Get cheap fixes for your black hole positions. Don’t mortgage the future for a shot at one WC game.
Except if you improve the offense enough to 4.5ish runs per game, the Mariners become arguably the second most dangerous team in the AL for the playoffs (A’s being the most dangerous after acquiring Lester). I don’t want to have to face Felix/Kuma in the playoffs at all.
Someone like you should be running the Mariners.
I’m not sure if you’re being sarcastic or not. The Mariners need to add a bat to increase the output to around that level (which I might add is SLIGHTLY above the AL-average and .7 runs more per game than we score) and we become a dangerous team. Felix/Kuma/Young (with how he’s been pitching) is a dangerous trio with an average offense.
I’m being totally serious. The Mariners have one of the few lock-down aces in all of baseball but they continuously take it for granted, seemingly thinking “next offseason we’ll get some hitters to back up Felix & Co.” Accurately assessing the team’s offensive capabilities, locating the areas of need, addressing those needs, and adjusting strategy to add offense when the original plan fails……………nobody running the Mariners can do any of those things.
Exactly. Two OF spots look solid if Ackley can hit ~.300 for the rest of the year and Saunders stays off the DL when he comes back. Seager/Cano are locked in at 3B/2B and Zunino/Sucre is a decent C split (Zunino with power and both with good defense). If Taylor can stay afloat with Miller at SS, we don’t need much help there. Logan needs to get his June stroke back (it wasn’t that impossible to hold up as he had like a .300 BABIP iirc) and that leaves 1 OF spot and 1 DH spot. Why I want Zobrist. He can move around (like to SS if needed) and provides a great bat anywhere in the order (except for #4).
The A’s gave up their biggest Power Threat thou,
Wonder if Jack Z & Howard are aware of that deal since the Mariners can get a bat like himself.
Donaldson, Norris, and Moss are still on the team.
But improving the offense to that extent is not easy – probably impossible given the players available – and even if that were to happen, you have a one game playoff, likely against the Angels, who are a very good team. Plus, the Mariners are arguably in the best position to improve their offense without landing a great offensive player. You don’t have to add stars. Subbing in several average players for black holes (e.g. Denorfia for Chavez) results in the same improvement you’d get from one large upgrade.
Just my two cents.
That’s why I’m hoping the Mariners can snag Zobrist considering we’re in the final 3 for Price apparently. Snagging someone like Zobrist turns us into a somewhat dangerous team (he isn’t that “power bat” we need) and really increases the offense, but isn’t that “big” move. We’ve played well against the Angels and I’d be confident in a 1-game playoff against them.
Well yeah, Zobrist would be a great pickup, but how many times does Tampa lose in a trade? And they don’t have to move him. They’d be more motivated to deal Price given his salary, I’d think.
Zobrist will cost money too. So what if they “win” the trade. A year+ of both Zobrist and Price is worth it for the M’s. We can afford both of them (both with prospects and with money).
Add David Price and/or Yoenis Cespedes and perhaps Napoli that will be more dangerous team come playoffs including ALCS between the Mariners & A’s should the team make a deal w/ the Red Sox.
Really? A huge upgrade over Endy Chavez? Donorfia’s splits are WORSE than Endy’s this year! .242/.293/.319 for Denorfia w/ 1 HR vs. .255/.279/.338 for Endy w/ 1 HR.
So is it a Cash deal or a trade????
It’s a trade. Padres get Kohlscheen and Almonte. I never thought it would be possible to get rid of Denorfia and still lose the trade, but there you are.
As I would say I didn’t think it was possible to get Denorfia and not lose the trade, but that isn’t a bad trade for the M’s. Was like “NOOOOOOOO” when I saw it and now I’m like “this better not be the only deal!”
I guess they’re hoping he returns to his career averages? Even if he does, not much to get excited about. His career OBP would put him 3rd best on the team.
And now this is how the mariners counter Oakland lol
Well Denorfia is a better defender than Endy Chavez….
If the M’s wanted an outfielder that could hit lefties they should have called the Royals on Aoki. He is hitting lefties .333
What do the Mets need in order of acquiring Bartolo as a fourth starting pitcher between Montero/Hart/Morrison/Smoak and a player? Also, please acquire Cespedes and Napoli from the Red Sox for offense help in spite of sending Peterson or Walker to Boston.
Wow big move, M’s aren’t doing anything this year. It’s all A’s this year, an all star packed rotation.
One bad week in October though, and it’s all for nothing. A’s now have a bottom 5 farm and no money. Not knocking them for trying, but nothing is guaranteed in baseball.
and next year we get back parker, griffin, and the shark the whole year. and all the same players. if we resign lowrie. But we are going to win next year as well. Not afraid about the future with Bean as our GM. Actually you should be scared to even achieve a winning record. lol
and next year we get back parker, griffin, and the shark the whole year. and all the same players. if we resign lowrie. But we are going to win next year as well. Not afraid about the future with Bean as our GM. Actually you should be scared to even achieve a winning record. lol
Finally, the Chris Denorfia sweepstakes are over
Almonte’s .198/.248/.292 looks great in San Diego.
Club controlled for the next 6 years, along with Kolsheen. Denorfia hits FA in 2 months.
Kohlsheen/almonte give them more production than Denorfia gives the Ms it’s a win for the padres. A platoon rental for cost controlled pieces isn’t a terrible trade by any means.
meh. trade to make it look like we did something. i dont think it hurts but looking at what the a’s are doing… that cespedes trade was a whopper! THATs how you show you’re willing to freakin win…
Problem is, the Red Sox were clearly looking to get back a piece that could provide significant value in 2015, and the Mariners aren’t in a position to do that without taking a significant hit to their 2014 chances. The Mariners match up with someone who wants prospects, not major league talent.
Not a bad haul for the Padres. Two potential 2015 contributors in exchange for 34-year old Deno. Who needs a GM anyway?
Hinch & company have done a pretty good job of trading assets thus far. The two left, Kennedy and Benoit, could fit into next years plans, so it will be interesting to see what they do with them.
Great! He’ll fit right in with all the other limp bats on the team.
That much for Denorfia? I’ll take it as a padres fan. Young guys. 1 who has the talent but hasn’t put it together yet and another thans flown under the radar but posting good numbers. So far seems the padres without a GM have put together quality trades.
Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, Erasmo Ramirez + Justin Smoak, Michael Saunders, James Jones to the Chicago White Sox for Chris Sale & Jose Abreau.
I am willing to wager that Deno’s performance will end up surprising Mariners fans.