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J.P. Crawford, Julio Rodriguez Facing Notable Absences

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The Mariners’ offense is already reeling, and they’ll now be without two prominent hitters for significant stretches in the season’s second half. General manager Justin Hollander tells the Mariners beat that shortstop J.P. Crawford, who was placed on the 10-day IL yesterday with a fracture in his hand, will miss at least four to six weeks (X link via Adam Jude of the Seattle Times). A timetable for Julio Rodriguez, who landed on the IL at the same time due to a right high ankle sprain, will be reevaluated seven to ten days from now. That doesn’t shed much light on an exact return date for Rodriguez, but it seems clear he’ll miss more than the 10-day minimum with his injury.

Neither Crawford nor Rodriguez has performed up to their personal standards in 2024 — a large reason that Seattle’s lineup has been among the least-productive in the sport. Crawford is playing excellent defense at shortstop but is hitting just .204/.299/.347 on the season. For a player who batted .262/.352/.384 over the three prior seasons — including a career-best .266/.380/.438 just last season — it’s a major downturn in performance.

As for Rodriguez, he’s been about average at the plate this season (.263/.315/.372), but that’s still a precipitous fall for a hitter who burst into the majors with a .279/.338/.495 batting line and 60 homers through his first 287 games. Rodriguez swatted 32 big flies just last season but only has 11 on the year in 2024. His isolated power (slugging minus batting average) sat at .216 in 2022-23 but has plummeted to .109 this year. The timing of his injury is particularly difficult, as Rodriguez looked to finally be getting hot at the plate this month. In his past 48 turns at the dish, he’d delivered a scintillating .409/.469/.750 slash with four homers and three doubles.

With Crawford shelved, the Mariners will likely turn to Dylan Moore and Leo Rivas as their top options at shortstop. Moore’s .230/.307/.425 output against lefties is a solid enough mark, though virtually any defensive metric will agree that he’s stretched too thin playing shortstop on a regular basis. Rivas could take up the larger side of a platoon, in theory. He’s only had six big league plate appearances to this point in his career, but the switch-hitter is batting .288/.440/.397 in 195 plate appearances as a left-handed hitter this season.

In the outfield, Rodriguez’s loss stings even more. The Mariners can go with an alignment of Luke Raley, Victor Robles and Mitch Haniger on most days, with Cade Marlowe and Jonatan Clase as options on the bench. No one from that group can replicate the production of a healthy Rodriguez. For now, the team will hope for good news at his reevaluation, but it’s hard to imagine this pair of injuries won’t impact the Mariners’ outlook at the trade deadline.

Seattle was already known to be seeking a significant upgrade for a lineup that currently ranks 28th in the majors both in runs scored (389) and on-base percentage (.298). The Mariners are actually tied with the Guardians for the 12th-most homers in MLB, but their bottom-of-the-barrel OBP has led to a disproportionate number of solo shots. Seattle has an elite rotation and the makings of an excellent bullpen now that Gregory Santos has rejoined the mix, but the lack of bats is a glaring issue that was already expected to dictate their deadline trajectory. Now, with Crawford and Rodriguez out for a significant period, it seems all the more likely that the Mariners will strive to bolster the lineup in a meaningful way.

Mariners Designate Ty France For Assignment; Place Julio Rodríguez, J.P. Crawford On Injured List

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The Mariners’ roster got a major shakeup today, with the club announcing a huge slate of moves. First baseman Ty France was designated for assignment while shortstop J.P. Crawford and outfielder Julio Rodríguez each landed on the 10-day injured list. Crawford has a right hand fracture while Rodríguez has a right high ankle sprain. In corresponding moves, the club recalled infielders Tyler Locklear, Leo Rivas and outfielder Cade Marlowe.

The writing seemed to be on the wall for France a few days ago. Seattle placed the 2022 All-Star on outright waivers earlier this week in hopes that another club would claim the remainder of his $6.775MM salary. Earlier today, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported on X that France had gone unclaimed on waivers.

The Mariners didn’t have to outright France to a minor league affiliate — they could have simply decided to keep him on the roster, as the Blue Jays did with Kevin Kiermaier earlier this month when he also cleared waivers — but it seems they are committed to moving on.

Now that he’s been designated for assignment, he’s off the 40-man roster and they will technically have some time to explore trade scenarios. With France clearing waivers, the M’s at least know that they can’t just get rid of his salary, though they could perhaps eat some of that as a means of facilitating a deal. France has enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency while retaining the remainder of his salary, so he’ll likely end up released if no trade is worked out in the coming days.

From 2020-22, the thought of placing France on waivers would’ve seemed silly. The former Padres prospect went from San Diego to Seattle as part of the Austin Nola trade at the 2020 deadline and posted a terrific .284/.354/.441 slash (127 wRC+) with 40 homers, 64 doubles and three triples. France had posted strong offense throughout his minor league tenure but drew concern from scouts about his lack of an obvious defensive home. He worked himself into a fine defender at first base though, posting average or better marks there up until an across-the-board decline this season.

France’s glove isn’t the only thing that’s taken a step back. He was barely a league-average hitter in 2023 and has seen his production dwindle further in 2024. Over his past 1005 big league plate appearances, he’s posted a punchless .241/.328/.361 slash. France is still getting on base at a decent clip, but his strikeout rate has spiked from 16.4% (2020-22) to 24.4% in 2024. This year’s 19.7% line-drive rate is a personal low, and France’s 46.3% grounder rate is the second-highest mark of his career. For a player whose average sprint speed ranks in the seventh percentile of MLB hitters (via Statcast), an uptick in grounders is particularly problematic.

Though his recent play hasn’t been up to his prior standards, France has plenty of track record. He’s been a solid right-handed bat who’s primarily played first base in the majors but has dabbled at the opposite infield corner and at second base as well. If he ends up released, a new team could sign France and would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster, as the Mariners will remain on the hook for the rest of this year’s salary.

France would also be controllable for a new club through the 2025 campaign. He opened the current season with 4.089 years of MLB service and has already added another 117 days. That’ll push him to five-plus years. A new team could go through the arbitration process with him this offseason, or they could push for a more palatable club option to be tacked on, as the Tigers did with Carson Kelly last August following his release with the D-backs.

Crawford was hit by a pitch on the hand in last night’s game and suffered a fracture. Rodríguez collided with the outfield wall on Sunday while attempting to make a catch and was visibly injured, with video relayed on X by Fox Sports MLB.

It’s unclear how long the Mariners expect to be without those two players, but they are notable blows for a club that has already been plummeting of late. Just over a month ago, the club had a ten-game lead in the American League West. But some poor play from Seattle combined with a hot streak from the Astros now have the M’s percentage points behind Houston and also 3.5 games back of a Wild Card spot.

The timing of the injuries is not only unfortunate for that reason but also because Rodríguez was starting to heat up after a rough first half. He was hitting just .247/.297/.327 for a wRC+ of 83 through the end of June but had slashed .375/.434/.688 since the calendar flipped to July. That resurgence will now have to be put on hold for as long as he’s out.

Crawford has been scuffling this year as well, though luck could be a big factor there. He is slashing .204/.299/.347 on the year but his .243 batting average is well below his .293 career rate and the .289 league average in 2024. That has dragged his offense from last year’s 134 wRC+ to 90 this year, though he’s still been able to contribute by stealing five bases and providing above average shortstop defense. Ideally, his luck would have evened out in time but he won’t have that opportunity for as long as he’s on the IL.

The M’s will now have to try to pull themselves out of this tailspin without contributions from France, Crawford or Rodríguez. Locklear is covering first base today and could get some regular run there going forward, with Jason Vosler perhaps factoring in as well. Utility player Dylan Moore is at shortstop in tonight’s lineup and may be the regular there, with Rivas backing him up. Víctor Robles is in center field and figures to be joined in the club’s outfield mix by Canzone, Luke Raley, Mitch Haniger and Jonatan Clase.

With the trade deadline now just a week away, the Mariners figure to be looking for more offense in general and it’s been reported that they will be aggressive in doing so. At this point, there’s nothing to suggest that either Crawford or Rodríguez is facing a significant absence but it nonetheless could heighten the club’s focus on adding a bat or two. The Mariners are hitting a collective .217/.298/.364 this year for a 93 wRC+, which places them 22nd in the league.

Mariners Select Jason Vosler

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The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Jason Vosler. Fellow infielder Ryan Bliss was optioned in a corresponding move. There was already a vacancy on the club’s 40-man roster due to right-hander Mike Baumann recently being designated for assignment and traded to the Giants.

Vosler, 30, signed a minor league deal with the M’s in the offseason and has been with Triple-A Tacoma all year so far. In 89 games with the Rainiers, he has hit 20 home runs and drawn walks in 8.4% of his plate appearances, striking out at a 21.6% clip. His .289/.357/.526 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 113 in the heightened offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League.

Offense has been an issue for the Mariners all year, as they are hitting .218/.299/.367 as a team. That translates to a wRC+ 94, better than just nine clubs in the league. Seattle’s 28% strikeout rate is the worst in the majors by a significant margin, as the Athletics and Rockies are the nearest clubs at 25.7%.

Vosler has been playing the four corner spots this year and those are certainly positions where the Mariners could use some help. First baseman Ty France has a subpar line of .223/.312/.350 and 96 wRC+. The M’s are clearly willing to move on from him as he has reportedly been placed on waivers as the club hopes someone claims him for nothing but cost savings. Josh Rojas has been getting the bulk of playing time at third base and had a hot start but has since cooled, slashing .184/.269/.270 since May 15. In the outfield corners, Víctor Robles and Luke Raley have been doing well but Mitch Haniger is hitting .208/.287/.335 this year.

Ideally, Vosler will come up and give the lineup a boost. He’s played more first base than anywhere else this year and could simply take playing time away from France, who could perhaps wind up in the short side of a platoon. Despite his rough season overall, the righty-swinging France is still hitting .237/.356/.395 against lefties for a 123 wRC+, thanks to drawing walks at a 12.2% rate against southpaws compared to a 6.8% against righties.

Vosler hits from the left side and could perhaps shield France from right-handers. Vosler has slashed .303/.364/.590 against righties this year compared to .253/.339/.364 against lefties. But his defensive versatility will also give Scott Servais some flexibility in how he gets him into the lineup.

This will be Vosler’s third big league team of his career, as he has 97 games of experience with the Reds and Giants. He’s hit just .210/.279/.408 in the majors but has generally fared better at the Triple-A level. He has one option season remaining and can be sent down to the minors later without being exposed to waivers. He also has less than a year of service time and can stick around for a while if he puts up some decent numbers.

Mariners Place Ty France On Outright Waivers

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The Mariners have placed first baseman Ty France on outright waivers, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. France remains on the club’s 40-man roster and can still play for the Mariners while on waivers until or unless he is claimed.

Should France clear waivers, the Mariners would then be able to outright or release him, though it’s worth noting that France has enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency and that Seattle could also simply opt to retain France on their roster afterwards, as the Blue Jays did with center fielder Kevin Kiermaier earlier this month. As was the case with Kiermaier, the move appears to be motivated by a desire on the part of Seattle to find a taker for France and the remainder of his $6.75MM salary this year, though ESPN’s Jeff Passan suggests that the move is also designed to open up full-time at-bats at the big league level for top first base prospect Tyler Locklear.

France, who celebrated his 30th birthday last week, is in the midst of a difficult season at the plate. The first baseman has slashed just .224/.313/.351 good for a wRC+ of just 97 and is striking out at a career-worst 24.5% clip. It’s the second consecutive down year for France, as he posted a somewhat lackluster 104 wRC+ in 158 games with Seattle last year as well. That down 2023 season led the club to listen to offers for the first baseman last summer, although no deal ultimately came together. Nearly a year later, the club is now evidently open to parting ways with France for nothing but salary relief with Locklear knocking at the door of the majors and France still struggling to produce at a level commensurate with the offensive expectations of his position.

It’s been a somewhat surprising drop off in production for France, who was a well-above average bat as recently as 2022. Acquired from the Padres as part of the seven-player deal that sent Austin Nola to San Diego back in 2020, France did nothing but hit during his first three seasons with the Mariners. From 2020 to 2022, France slashed an excellent .285/.355/.443 while striking out just 16.7% of the time and clubbing 42 homers in 335 games. It’s at least feasible to imagine a club that has a need at first base and believes they can unlock that old form in France would be willing to pay the remainder of his 2024 salary in order to take that chance, although it’s fair to wonder if interested clubs may prefer to see if France clears waivers before trying to acquire him at a lower price in the final week prior to the July 30 trade deadline.

In the meantime, rival clubs will have 48 hours from the time France was first waived to claim him, immediately adding him to their 40-man roster by doing so. Should he pass through waivers unclaimed, the Mariners will then need to decide whether to release France or retain him on their roster. Should France be released, he would then be eligible to be signed by any club for only a prorated portion of the major league minimum salary. If the club retains him on the roster, they would presumably continue to look for a suitor for France’s services in the run-up to the trade deadline. It’s even possible that Seattle could look to put France on waivers a second time after the deadline has passed, similar to how clubs like the Angels and Yankees handled pieces such as Lucas Giolito and Harrison Bader last summer after falling out of contention in August.

Seemingly poised to replace France in the Seattle lineup is Locklear, 23. Seattle’s second-rounder in the 2022 draft, Locklear has just 11 big league games under his belt, having slashed .200/.250/.433 in a brief cup of coffee while France was on the IL earlier this year. In 71 games between the Double- and Triple-A levels this year, Locklear has slashed an excellent .283/.389/.504 while striking out at a 24.5% clip that is, coincidentally, identical to France’s own strikeout rate this season.

Giants Acquire Mike Baumann

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The Giants have acquire right-hander Mike Baumann from the Mariners in exchange for cash considerations, per an announcement from both clubs. San Francisco’s 40-man roster now stands at 39. Baumann was designated for assignment by the Mariners earlier this week.

Baumann, 29 in September, was a third-round pick by the Orioles back in 2017 and made his big league debut for the club in 2021. He spent much of his professional career as a starter before moving to the bullpen full-time following the 2022 season and enjoyed some noteworthy success in Baltimore’s bullpen with a 3.69 ERA in 83 innings since converting to relief full time. He struck out 21.7% of batters faced during that time, but an elevated 11.7% walk rate during that time in conjunction with his lack of minor league options ultimately made him expendable in a relatively deep Orioles bullpen.

That led Baltimore to designate Baumann for assignment back in May, at which point he was promptly acquired by the Mariners alongside veteran minor league catcher Michael Perez in exchange for catching prospect Blake Hunt. Unfortunately, Baumann’s time in Seattle left something to be desired, as he struggled badly to a 5.51 ERA with a 6.04 FIP thanks in part to a massive uptick in hard contact. Baumann’s barrel rate in Seattle soared to an eye-popping 17% after sitting at just 3.6% with the Orioles this year and 8.2% from 2022 to 2023. That led Baumann to surrender a whopping four homers in just 16 1/3 innings of work, or more than two per nine innings. Those struggles left Baumann in a precarious spot in Seattle, and the club ultimately decided to part ways with the 28-year-old earlier this week when lefty Gabe Speier was ready to be activated from the IL.

Now, Baumann is headed to his third club of the season to join the San Francisco bullpen. With right-handers Sean Hjelle, Luke Jackson, and Randy Rodriguez all struggling to varying degrees in the club’s bullpen, it’s not necessarily a shock that the Giants, whose cavernous home ballpark is known for its homer-suppressing tendencies, would be interested in taking a shot on the services of a player who has gotten solid results in the past but has developed issues with the long ball. Baumann fits that description perfectly, and he’ll now look to get things back on track going forward with a Giants club that ranks bottom-five in the majors and better than only the Rockies among NL clubs with a 4.42 bullpen ERA.

Mariners Designate Mike Baumann For Assignment

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The Mariners announced they’ve designated right-hander Mike Baumann for assignment. The move opens a spot in the bullpen for southpaw Gabe Speier, who is back from the 15-day injured list. Baumman is out of options, so Seattle couldn’t send him down without taking him off the 40-man roster.

Seattle acquired Baumann from the Orioles for Triple-A catcher Blake Hunt a couple months ago. The O’s had designated him for assignment despite a decent 3.44 earned run average at the time, projecting his middling strikeout and walk profile to lead to regression. That has been the case in Seattle, as Baumann allowed 11 runs across 16 1/3 innings. He punched out 16 against eight walks while surrendering four home runs. Between the two teams, the former third-round pick now carries a 4.41 ERA over 34 2/3 innings. His 20.8% strikeout percentage, 11% walk rate and 1.56 homers per nine are all on the wrong side of league average.

Baumann was a solid piece of Baltimore’s middle relief corps a year ago. The Jacksonville product worked to a 3.76 ERA with an average 22.3% strikeout percentage while logging 64 2/3 innings. This season hasn’t gone to plan, but he hasn’t lost any velocity off a fastball that sits north of 96 MPH.

Seattle has five days to try to trade Baumann. If they don’t find a taker, they’ll place him on waivers. Any claiming team would need to install him directly into the big league bullpen. Baumann has never cleared outright waivers and has less than three years of MLB service, so he wouldn’t have the ability to decline an outright assignment if he goes unclaimed.

Mariners Agree To Deal With First Rounder Jurrangelo Cijntje

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The Mariners are in agreement with first-round pick Jurrangelo Cijntje on a deal, pending a physical, reports Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. According to Kramer, the Mississippi State product will receive the full $4.8809MM slot value of the 15th pick. Seattle also reportedly agreed to an overslot deal with second-rounder Ryan Sloan last night.

Perhaps the most fascinating player in this year’s draft, Cijntje is a switch pitcher. A native of the Netherlands and one-time Little League World Series participant with Curacao, Cijntje is a natural lefty but throws much harder from the right side. Scouting reports credit him with a plus slider and mid-upper 90s velocity as a righty. Cijntje sits in the low-90s with a sweepy slider as a lefty, limiting his work there to specific matchups. He didn’t pitch left-handed against every lefty hitter and worked almost exclusively from the right side late in his draft season.

After posting an 8.10 ERA over 14 appearances as a freshman, Cijntje broke through with an excellent showing as a draft-eligible sophomore. He turned in a 3.67 earned run average through 90 2/3 innings. He fanned nearly 30% of batters faced with a solid 7.9% walk rate — a huge step forward after he’d walked more than 14% of opponents during his first college season.

Cijntje said at the draft that he hopes to continue developing from both sides. Kramer writes that the Mariners intend to give him that opportunity. There’s a good chance Cijntje surpasses former MLB reliever Pat Venditte as the most successful switch-pitcher in memory. Keith Law of the Athletic wrote before the draft that the 21-year-old had the upside of a #2 starter. FanGraphs wrote that Cijntje looks like a back-end starter as a righty in addition to his matchup work from the left side.

Law slotted Cijntje as the #15 prospect in the class, exactly matching his draft slot. Baseball America slotted him 24th, while FanGraphs put him 34th. The Mariners have had plenty of success with the college pitching demographic in recent years, snagging George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller from those ranks. Cijntje was the third pitcher off the board this season.

Notable Draft Signings: 7/15/24

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The 2024 draft is still underway, as Rounds 11-20 will take place tomorrow. Almost everyone who has come off the board within the first 10 rounds will sign over the next few weeks, with one notable deal already hammered out.

  • The Mariners have an agreement with second-round pick Ryan Sloan on a $3MM bonus, pending a physical, reports Daniel Kramer of MLB.com (X link). Seattle drafted the high school pitcher with the 55th overall selection last night. They went well above the pick’s $1.64MM slot value to sign him away from a Wake Forest commitment. (Seattle could agree to an underslot deal with first-rounder Jurrangelo Cijntje to save some of the bonus pool space they’re committing to Sloan.) A 6’5″ right-hander from Illinois, Sloan was ranked as a back of the first round talent by each of Baseball America, FanGraphs and The Athletic’s Keith Law. All three outlets credited him with mid-upper 90s velocity, a potential plus slider and the athleticism to have a shot of sticking as a starting pitcher. The $3MM bonus falls between the slot values for the 29th and 30th selections, aligning with those publications’ rankings.

Latest On Jazz Chisholm’s Market

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Jazz Chisholm Jr. stands as one of the top position players available in what could be a relatively light market for bats. Trade chatter regarding Chisholm has picked up over the past week. The Marlins only added fuel by moving him back to second base over the weekend, seemingly an effort to demonstrate his defensive versatility for potential trade partners with two weeks until the deadline.

A middle infielder by trade, Chisholm moved to center field in 2023 in deference to Luis Arraez. Defensive metrics have been mixed on Chisholm’s outfield performance. Defensive Runs Saved has him as a well below-average center fielder, while Statcast has him as a neutral to solid outfielder. Both metrics were fonder of his early work at second base than they’ve been on his center field defense.

Even a couple weeks of reps back at second base could raise teams’ confidence that Chisholm could play there down the stretch. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman wrote last week that the Yankees have considered Chisholm, presumably as an infield fit. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported yesterday that the Royals — a team openly seeking a player who can bounce between the infield and outfield — have shown interest in Chisholm. Nightengale suggests the Mariners, another club that hasn’t made any secret of its desire to upgrade the offense, is also in the mix.

While there should be a broad range of teams interested in a player with Chisholm’s defensive flexibility, Nightengale indicates the Phillies are not showing much interest in their division rival. (The Athletic’s Jim Bowden had loosely linked Chisholm, among various other players, to Philadelphia last week.) The Phils are set in the middle infield with Trea Turner and Bryson Stott. They’re looking for outfield help, although that could take the form of a right-handed platoon bat rather than an everyday player.

Chisholm, a left-handed hitter, wouldn’t address Philadelphia’s desire for more balance in the outfield. He’d be a clear offensive improvement as an everyday center fielder on Johan Rojas. Rojas is a gifted defender, though, and the Phils might not feel that Chisholm’s a marked enough overall upgrade to beat the offers put forth by other teams that are more desperate for hitting.

The 26-year-old Chisholm is having a second straight solid but not incredible season. He goes into the All-Star Break with a roughly average .249/.321/.407 slash line. Chisholm has hit 12 homers and stolen 18 bases (although he’s been thrown out eight times). That’s similar to last year’s .250/.304/.457 showing. An average hitter with the ability to cover multiple up-the-middle positions is certainly a valuable player, yet Chisholm hasn’t developed into the franchise building block he seemed during an All-Star first half in 2022.

Injuries have been a factor. Most notably, a stress fracture in Chisholm’s back cut short that potential breakout year in ’22. Toe and oblique issues limited him to 97 games a year ago. He has avoided the injured list thus far in 2024. The injury history has kept him from accumulating the kind of counting stats that’d result in significant arbitration earnings. Chisholm is playing on a very affordable $2.625MM salary and won’t reach free agency until the 2026-27 offseason.

MLBTR Podcast: Brewers’ Pitching Needs, Marlins Rumors And The Nats Prepare To Sell

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Who gets traded from the Blue Jays at the deadline? (27:55)
  • What will the Mariners do to take advantage on their stellar rotation and make a run for their first World Series appearance? Also, should the Mariners trade J.P. Crawford for a proven hitter? (33:30)
  • Do you think there’s a chance the Braves make Max Fried a legitimate offer to keep him this winter? (39:00)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

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