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Mariners Claim Canaan Smith-Njigba, Designate Darren McCaughan

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The Mariners announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers from the Pirates. Right-hander Darren McCaughan was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. At least for the time being Smith-Njigba will head to the same city as his younger brother, Jaxon — a wide receiver for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.

Now 24 years old, Smith-Njigba was one of four players the Yankees traded to Pittsburgh in the trade that brought righty Jameson Taillon to the Bronx. He’s posted nice minor league numbers but seen minimal time in the big leagues. Through 44 MLB plate appearances, Smith-Njigba is a .135/.250/.243 hitter, but he’s posted a .273/.366/.439 slash in parts of three Triple-A campaigns. That includes a 2023 season that saw him slash .280/.366/.473 (110 wRC+) with 15 homers, 28 doubles, a triple and a 21-for-26 showing in stolen base attempts. Smith-Njigba also walked at a strong 11.9% clip with Indy this past season, but his 26.5% strikeout rate could stand to improve.

Smith-Njigba has drawn praise for above-average raw power and speed in the past, though that raw power hasn’t translated to much in the way of home runs. Last year’s 15 round-trippers were a career-high, and he’s only reached double digits in homers in one other season. Smith-Njigba’s strong walk rates and left-handed bat will help the Mariners to replace some of the outfield depth they lost when trading Zach DeLoach to the White Sox and Jarred Kelenic to the Braves. He has a minor league option remaining and has hit reasonably well at virtually every minor league level, evidenced by a career .277/.382/.429 slash in six professional seasons.

McCaughan, 28 next month, has spent his entire career in the Mariners organization since being taken in the 12th round of the 2017 draft. He’s twice received a call to the big leagues but has just 14 MLB frames under his belt, during which he’s been slammed for 11 earned runs. The right-hander posted respectable Triple-A numbers in a hitter-friendly league environment during the 2021-22 seasons but was roughed up for a 5.83 ERA in 139 Triple-A frames in 2023. Overall, he carries a career 5.22 ERA in parts of five seasons with the Mariners’ Tacoma affiliate, though his aforementioned ’21 (4.46 ERA, 121 innings) and ’22 (4.55 ERA, 154 innings) performances were a far sight better.

The Mariners will have a week to trade McCaughan or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. He still has a minor league option remaining. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll have the right to reject an outright assignment by virtue of a previous outright earlier in his career, but his longstanding tenure in the Mariners organization could make him likelier to accept if things reach that point.

Mariners Claim Collin Snider From Diamondbacks

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The Mariners have claimed right-hander Collin Snider off waivers from the Diamondbacks, per announcements from both clubs. The latter had designated him for assignment last week. The Mariners’ 40-man roster is now full with this move.

Snider, 28, spent his entire career with the Royals until recently. Drafted in 2018, he appeared in 62 major league games over the two most recent seasons. He tossed a combined 54 2/3 innings while allowing 5.93 earned runs per nine. His rate stats weren’t especially impressive, striking out just 13.4% of hitters while giving out walks at an 11.4% clip, though he did get grounders on 51.9% of balls in play.

In the minors, his results have been somewhat similar. He’s thrown 64 1/3 innings at Triple-A over the past two years with a 5.74 ERA, 18.3% strikeout rate, 15.7% walk rate and grounders on more than half of the balls in play.

He was put on waivers in December with the Diamondbacks making a claim, though he was nudged off the roster with the Snakes signed Joc Pederson and needed a roster spot. The Mariners recently freed up a spot on their 40-man roster when they traded Prelander Berroa, Zach DeLoach and a draft pick to the White Sox for Gregory Santos.

They’ll use that open slot to take a flier on Snider, who still has one option and can be stashed in the minors until needed. He has mid-90s velocity on both his four-seamer and sinker, even if he hasn’t yet parlayed those into many strikeouts. He has got plenty of ground balls and he did well at limiting hard contact in the big leagues last year. The Mariners could have him as Triple-A depth to see if he takes a step forward, or perhaps try to pass him through waivers at a future date.

The M’s have Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash and Santos likely taking their high-leverage bullpen jobs. Trent Thornton, Austin Voth and Mauricio Llovera are each out of options, which could help them in securing jobs to start the season. Beyond that, Snider joins a group of optionable relievers that includes Gabe Speier, Tayler Saucedo, Jackson Kowar, Ty Adcock, Carlos Vargas, Eduard Bazardo and Cody Bolton. Some of those guys may earn jobs out of camp but there will likely be a lot of fluctuation throughout the campaign.

Mariners Sign Heath Hembree To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners recently inked veteran right-hander Heath Hembree to a minor league deal, according to the transactions section of the righty’s MLB.com profile page.

Hembree, 35 last month, is a veteran of 11 major league seasons. After being selected in the fifth round of the 2010 draft by the Giants, Hembree worked his way through the minor leagues to make his debut during the 2013 season. His first cup of coffee in the majors was an impressive one, as the right-hander struck out 12 while allowing four hits and two walks across 7 2/3 scoreless innings for San Francisco that season. Hembree’s time with the big league club in San Francisco was short-lived, however, as he was swapped to the Red Sox in a deal that netted the Giants Jake Peavy the following summer.

In joining the Red Sox, Hembree found his new home for the next seven seasons. During that time, he made 251 appearances with the club, pitching to a 3.70 ERA and 4.32 FIP while striking out 24.2% of batters faced. The strongest stretch of the right-hander’s tenure in Boston came in 2016 and 2017, when Hembree made himself a key member of the club’s late-inning mix with a 3.19 ERA (142 ERA+) and a 3.88 FIP in 100 appearances. Unfortunately, Hembree began to struggle with injuries late in his tenure with the club and missed nearly two months with elbow issues during the 2019 season.

The Red Sox eventually dealt Hembree to the Phillies as part of a larger deal that brought Nick Pivetta to Boston ahead of the trade deadline during the shortened 2020 season. Since then, the right-hander has become something of a journeyman. Over the past four seasons, Hembree has played for seven different clubs while struggling to a 6.55 ERA and 5.84 FIP and managing just 100 1/3 innings in the majors during that time. The most recent big league stop in the veteran’s travels was with the Rays back in April. While in Tampa, the right-hander posted 1 1/3 scoreless innings during his lone major league appearance last year.

After being designated for assignment by the Rays and electing free agency, Hembree caught on with the Tigers last year and enjoyed some brief success at the Triple-A level, where he posted a 3.00 ERA with a 24% strikeout rate. Unfortunately his stay with the organization would last just six innings as Hembree was placed on the injured list for more than a month before he was released by the club in early July.

Now, Hembree is poised to join his ninth big league organization over the past five years. The Mariners feature a strong trio of high-leverage options in the form of Andres Munoz, Matt Brash, and Gregory Santos, though Hembree could get a look in the event of an injury somewhere in the club’s bullpen provided he’s healthy. In the meantime, he figures to provide Seattle with a non-roster depth option who has found success at the major league level in the past and could compete with the likes of Jackson Kowar and Trent Thornton for a role in the big league bullpen this spring.

Mariners Acquire Gregory Santos

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The Mariners have acquired right-hander Gregory Santos from the White Sox in exchange for right-hander Prelander Berroa, outfielder Zach DeLoach, and their 2024 Competitive Balance Round B draft pick (#69 overall), according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Both clubs have since announced the deals. To make room for the club’s additions on the 40-man roster, the White Sox announced that they’ve designated right-hander Lane Ramsey for assignment.

Santos, 24, entered the 2023 campaign with just 5 2/3 innings in the majors under his belt for his career but fashioned a strong rookie performance out of the White Sox bullpen last year. The right-hander posted a strong 3.39 ERA in 66 1/3 innings of work across 60 appearances for Chicago last season, and those already solid numbers are backed up by even stronger peripherals. Santos paired a solid 22.8% strikeout rate with a microscopic 5.9% walk rate last season all while generating grounders at an excellent 52.5% clip. Those quality peripheral numbers left Santos with a 2.65 FIP last year, a figure bested by only Felix Bautista, Tanner Scott, Matt Brash, and David Bednar among relief arms with at least 60 innings of work last year.

Given the presence of both Brash and flamethrowing closer Andres Munoz at the back of Seattle’s bullpen, it seems unlikely that Santos will find himself in line for many save opportunities with the Mariners after picking up five saves in eight opportunities with the White Sox last season. That being said, Santos appears likely to step into the void created by right-hander Justin Topa’s departure from the club’s late-inning mix. Topa, who posted a 2.61 ERA and 3.15 FIP for the Mariners last year, was shipped to Minnesota last week alongside Anthony DeSclafani and two prospects in exchange for infielder Jorge Polanco. While reporting earlier this winter indicated that Santos may not be ready for Spring Training after ending the season on the injured list with elbow inflammation, MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer relays that the Mariners expect Santos to make six to eight appearances this spring in preparation for Opening Day.

In exchange for parting ways with a quality relief arm with five seasons of team control remaining, the White Sox are receiving a pair of rookie-eligible youngsters as well as what should become a third noteworthy piece in the form of the #69 selection in this year’s draft. That will be Chicago’s third pick in next year’s draft as things stand, as they will also draft the #5 and #43 selections this summer.

Berroa, 23, was acquired by the Mariners back in May of 2022 in a deal that sent Donovan Walton to San Francisco. The right-hander was listed as Seattle’s #15 prospect by MLB.com last season on the heels of a 2022 campaign that saw him post a 2.86 ERA in 26 starts split between the High-A and Double-A levels of the minors. The Mariners converted Berroa to the bullpen in 2023 and he found considerable success in the role as he punched out 36.6% of batters faced while compiling a 2.89 ERA in 65 1/3 innings of work in a return to Double-A last year. Impressive as those strikeout numbers are, Berroa’s penchant for issuing free passes stands out as a possible red flag. The righty walked 14.1% of batters faced last season and has walked at least 11.8% of opponents every year since he made the jump to full-season ball back in 2019.

Though the youngster has yet to appear at the Triple-A level to this point in his career, he got his first taste of big league action last year, with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of work across his first two appearances in the majors. There should be plenty of opportunities this season for the righty to step into a significant role in Chicago’s bullpen, where they figure to rely on the likes of John Brebbia, Tim Hill, and Garrett Crochet as late-inning options.

As for DeLoach, the 25-year-old was Seattle’s second-round pick in the 2020 draft. Early in his professional career, DeLoach struggled to create much power with his swing, clubbing just 14 home runs in each of his first two pro campaigns. The right fielder managed to improve his power output this past season, however, as he slashed .286/.387/.481 in 623 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level. While that translates to a wRC+ of just 111 in the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League, where the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate plays its games, DeLoach’s 23 homers last season still show the power potential necessary to make him a potential big league contributor as soon as this season.

While star slugger Luis Robert Jr. is locked into the everyday center field job and veteran outfielder Andrew Benintendi figures to get the lion’s share of starts in left for the White Sox this year, the club’s right field situation is far less certain. Oscar Colas was the club’s main contributor at the position last year, though he posted a brutal .216/.257/.314 slash line in 75 games with the big league club last year. As such, there’s plenty of room for either DeLoach or fellow recent addition Dominic Fletcher to seize an everyday role with the club during Spring Training later this month. That trio also figure to battle with non-roster invitees Brett Phillips and Kevin Pillar for the club’s fourth outfield role headed into Opening Day.

Making room on the 40-man roster for the additions of DeLoach and Berroa is Ramsey, a 27-year-old who made his big league debut last season. Originally acquired by the White Sox in the 23rd round of the 2018 draft, Ramsey struggled to a 5.85 ERA in 20 innings of work with the big league club last year as he struck out just 19.6% of batters faced while walking 9.8%. The club will have seven days to either trade Ramsey or attempt to pass him through waivers. If they are successful in doing so, they’ll have the opportunity to outright him to the minor leagues where he’ll remain with the club as non-roster depth headed into the 2024 campaign.

MLBTR Podcast: The Jorge Polanco Trade, Rhys Hoskins and the Blue Jays’ Plans

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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…

  • Is Cody Bellinger unsigned because of his asking price? Will the Cubs sign him or do they not want to block their outfield prospect? (27:35)
  • Should the Mariners sign Blake Snell? Will they? Can they? (31:40)

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!

Mariners Asked About Max Kepler In Trade Talks With Twins

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The Mariners and Twins recently got together on a trade that sent infielder Jorge Polanco to Seattle, with a four-player package heading the other way. Today, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports that the M’s asked about a larger deal that would have also involved outfielder Max Kepler, though that particular line of discussion wasn’t fruitful.

Though the talks didn’t yield results, it seems to suggest that the Mariners still have some appetite for another move to further change their outfield mix. Since last year, they have lost Teoscar Hernández and Jarred Kelenic, the former reaching free agency and signing with the Dodgers while the latter was traded to Atlanta. The M’s replaced those two by acquiring old friend Mitch Haniger from the Giants as well as Luke Raley from the Rays. On paper, those two would slot into the regular outfield alongside Julio Rodríguez.

There would be some logic to adding to that group. Due to some injuries and the shortened 2020 season, Haniger has only played more than 63 games in a season on three occasions. The past two years have each seen him finish with around 60 games played, missing time due to a right high ankle sprain, a left oblique strain, a right forearm fracture and a low back strain. He’s generally been able to post good results even when battling injuries but 2023 was a struggle. He hit .209/.266/.365 for a wRC+ of 73, his first season of subpar offensive production since his 2016 debut.

Giving Haniger plenty of time in the designated hitter slot would be a logical plan in a vacuum but likely isn’t feasible for the M’s with the current roster construction. They signed catcher Mitch Garver to a two-year, $24MM deal last month, but he figures to DH on an everyday basis or something close to it, with Cal Raleigh behind the plate most days. An injury could always change things but Haniger is currently projected for a regular role in the outfield.

As for Raley, his 2023 was strong overall but ended on a down note. He hit .268/.357/.533 through the end of July while striking out in 29.8% of his plate appearances. From the start of August until the end of the season, his line was just .200/.270/.380 with a 36% strikeout rate. The combined work for the year was still well above average, 130 wRC+, but the overall track record is limited. He’ll turn 30 years old next year and has played one good MLB season, which still came with concerning elements.

The Mariners also have a batch of depth outfielders in the mix, including Taylor Trammell, Cade Marlowe, Dominic Canzone, Zach DeLoach and Jonatan Clase, but their interest in Kepler suggests they would consider another addition under the right circumstances. The free agent market still has Cody Bellinger, though it’s hard to envision the M’s giving out a mega deal to a player like that since they have had notable budget limitations this offseason. More plausible options would include Michael A. Taylor, Adam Duvall, Tommy Pham or Eddie Rosario. The trade market could feature guys like Alec Burleson, Randy Arozarena or Seth Brown.

Seattle’s president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has suggested that the 2024 club will have a higher payroll than last year’s $140MM figure, but uncertainty around the broadcast revenue situation might limit them to a modest increase. Roster Resource currently has them at $135MM, meaning Kepler’s $10MM salary would have pushed them to $145MM.

For the Twins, perhaps they weren’t as open to dealing Kepler as they were with Polanco. While the latter was getting squeezed out of a crowded infield picture, Kepler could still play an important role with the 2024 club. He had a bounceback season at the plate last year, hitting 24 home runs and slashing .260/.332/.484 for a wRC+ of 124. He also provided above-average defense in right field, as he has done for many years.

He figures to continue in that role in 2024, with Byron Buxton hopefully playing center field again. Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach could be lined up next to Kepler and Buxton, with players like Willi Castro, Nick Gordon, Austin Martin and Bubba Thompson perhaps in the mix as well.

Kepler has been a speculative trade candidate due to the fact that the Twins are looking to cut payroll, while he’s making $10MM and an impending free agent. But after the Polanco deal, the club is down to about $118MM in spending commitments, according to Roster Resource. They are reportedly looking to get into the $125MM-140MM range so don’t really need to shed any more money unless they pivot to some kind of blockbuster signing, which perhaps will keep Kepler in Minnesota for the upcoming campaign.

Joe Smith Announces Retirement

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Veteran reliever Joe Smith announced his retirement on Wednesday, calling it a career after spending parts of 15 seasons in the Major Leagues. Via his representatives at Excel Sports Management, Smith issued a lengthy statement thanking the Mets, Guardians, Angels, Cubs, Blue Jays, Astros, Mariners and Twins organizations in addition to his coaches, teammates, trainers and family for supporting him throughout his career.

Selected by the Mets in the third round of the 2006 draft, the now-39-year-old Smith was in the majors less than one year later and practically never looked back. That’s in large part thanks to the fact that Smith established himself as a quality big league reliever right out of the gate, pitching 44 1/3 innings of 3.45 ERA ball with a 22% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate as a rookie.

That set off a remarkable run of 13 straight seasons with an ERA of 3.83 or better for Smith — including five years with a sub-3.00 mark and two with a sub-2.00. While the sidearming Smith was rarely thrust into the ninth-inning spotlight (30 career saves), he’s one of the most consistent and prolific setup men in the game’s history. Since holds began being tracked, Smith’s 228 rank him in the top five all-time. His blend of durability and consistently strong performance kept him in leverage spots for more than a decade.

Smith wasn’t on the 2016 Cubs’ World Series roster after missing most of the final month of the season due to injury, but he did take home a ring that year and pitched in parts of five other postseasons (including in 2019, when he pitched in the World Series as the Astros finished runner-up to the Nationals). As was the case during his regular-season performances, he remained quite strong in October. In 14 career playoff innings, Smith yielded only four earned runs on eight hits and three walks with 13 strikeouts (2.57 ERA).

All told, Smith will walk away from the game with 762 1/3 innings of 3.14 ERA ball under his belt. In his career, he pitched for eight MLB clubs, notching a 55-34 record with 30 saves, 228 holds, a 21.1% strikeout rate and an 8.1% walk rate. Smith didn’t post an ERA over 4.00 until his age-37 season in 2021, and in 15 MLB seasons he never had a single year where he ERA climbed to 5.00 or higher. He picked up more than 13 years of Major League service time and earned more than $51MM in salary over the course of a quietly excellent career. Best wishes to Smith and his family in whatever lies in store for his post-playing days.

Mariners To Sign Nick Solak To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners are signing infielder/outfielder Nick Solak to a minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The CAA Sports client will also receive an invite to major league Spring Training.

Solak, 29, had a tremendous major league debut with the Rangers in 2019 but wasn’t able to maintain it in subsequent seasons. Originally a second-round pick of the Yankees, he was twice traded before getting to the big leagues. The Yanks flipped him to the Rays as part of a three-team trade that sent Steven Souza Jr. to the Diamondbacks and Brandon Drury to the Bronx, then the Rays sent Solak to Texas straight up for Pete Fairbanks.

In the 2019 campaign, Solak crushed in the minors and then carried that over into his first 33 big league contests. He hit five home runs in that time and drew walks in 11.1% of his plate appearances. His .293/.393/.491 batting line amounted to a wRC+ of 126. But his production dipped in the 2020 season and hasn’t recovered. He has made 839 plate appearances in the majors over the past four seasons, hitting 16 home runs and walking at a 7% clip. His .246/.317/.354 slash line in that time translates to a wRC+ of 86.

There were questions about Solak’s second base defense while he was a prospect and the glovework has indeed become an issue. His work at the keystone was graded as subpar and he was pushed into a corner outfield role when the Rangers signed Marcus Semien. That move down the defensive spectrum made his lack of offensive production more of an issue, which pushed him off the roster. He was traded to the Reds going into 2023 but wasn’t going to crack the Opening Day roster in Cincinnati. They designated him for assignment and flipped him to the Mariners, but he went to the White Sox via a waivers a couple of weeks later. As the season went on, he was also claimed by Atlanta and Detroit, the latter club passing him through waivers in August.

For the Mariners, they are likely attracted to Solak’s right-handed bat. Their outfield depth leans left-handed, with each of Luke Raley, Taylor Trammell, Cade Marlowe, Dominic Canzone, Zach DeLoach and Jonatan Clase hitting from that side. Solak has hit .283/.363/.428 against southpaws in his career for a 117 wRC+, compared to a .236/.309/.343 and 78 wRC+ against righties.

That could perhaps allow him to carve out a role on the small side of a platoon arrangement in Seattle. He will first have to earn a roster spot and doesn’t have options in the event he succeeds. But if he manages to both get on the roster and stick, he still has less than three years of service time and could be retained for future seasons via arbitration.

Mariners Acquire Samad Taylor From Royals

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The Mariners announced that they have acquired infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor from the Royals in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported earlier that the two sides were working on a small deal so that Kansas City could open up a roster spot for Adam Frazier, whose deal is now official.

Taylor, 25, was able to make his major league debut with the Royals last year, after coming over from the Blue Jays in the 2022 Whit Merrifield trade. He made 69 plate appearances in 31 games, striking out at a 31.9% clip but also drawing walks at a healthy 10.1% rate, finishing the year with a .200/.279/.267 batting line. That offense was obviously subpar, but he also stole eight bases without getting caught and provided defensive versatility, lining up at second base, third base, left field and center field.

He has fared much better with the bat in the minors. In 89 Triple-A games last year, he paired a 15.9% walk rate with a 20.5% strikeout rate and slashed .301/.418/.466 for a wRC+ of 128. He swiped 43 bags in 53 tries while playing the same four positions that he played in the majors. If he could bring some of that offense up to the majors with him in the future, it would pair nicely with his speed and ability to shuffle around the diamond.

Though he got squeezed off the Kansas City roster, the M’s opened up a spot in last night’s Jorge Polanco trade, sending Justin Topa and Anthony DeSclafani to Minnesota. They will use that to add Taylor into their position player mix. He still has a couple of options and could find himself getting regular reps in Triple-A if he doesn’t secure a bench spot. Polanco will be the regular at the keystone while Luis Urías and Josh Rojas could be platooning at third, while players like Dylan Moore and Sam Haggerty will be in the mix for part-time/bench roles. In the outfield, Julio Rodríguez, Mitch Haniger and Luke Raley could be in line for regular playing time with players like Taylor Trammell, Dominic Canzone and Cade Marlowe on hand as depth options.

Mariners Acquire Jorge Polanco

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The Mariners and Twins have lined up on one of the bigger trades of the offseason. Seattle announced the acquisition of second baseman Jorge Polanco for four players: reliever Justin Topa, starter Anthony DeSclafani and prospects Gabriel Gonzalez and Darren Bowen, as well as cash considerations. The Mariners are reportedly including $8MM to cover two-thirds of DeSclafani’s $12MM salary for the upcoming campaign.

Seattle and Minnesota have long seemed an on-paper fit for this kind of move. The M’s didn’t get much out of their second basemen last season. Opening Day starter Kolten Wong was released midway through the year. Landing Josh Rojas in the deadline deal that sent Paul Sewald to the D-Backs helped to an extent, but the position still seemed a weakness entering the offseason.

The M’s further thinned the infield with a trade sending third baseman Eugenio Suárez to Arizona. Seattle brought in non-tender candidate Luis Urías in a deal with the Red Sox to add a contact-oriented hitter to the mix. While Rojas and Urías could split time between second and third base, it’d have been risky to count on both players as regulars.

As a result, Seattle lands one of the top offensive middle infielders on the trade market. The switch-hitting Polanco has posted above-average numbers at the plate in four of the past five seasons. Since the start of the 2019 campaign, he owns a .267/.337/.458 slash in nearly 2400 plate appearances. Knee and hamstring issues bothered him early last season, but he hit at a typically solid level when healthy. Polanco connected on 14 homers over 80 games, running a .255/.335/.454 line through 343 trips to the dish.

That steady production made it an easy call for the Twins to exercise a $10.5MM option on his contract. That’s a below-market price for a quality regular. Yet even with Minnesota triggering the option, there was a general belief that he could find himself on the move this offseason. The Twins have an enviable collection of infield talent that already threatened to bump the 30-year-old Polanco from his natural position.

While Polanco was on the injured list, 24-year-old Edouard Julien mashed his way to the second base job. He hit .263/.381/.459 as a rookie to secure a spot atop Rocco Baldelli’s lineup. The Twins gave Polanco 103 innings at third base once he returned, his first action at the hot corner since 2016. With former first overall pick Royce Lewis emerging as a star down the stretch and into the postseason, that wouldn’t have been an avenue to regular playing time moving forward.

Minnesota could have used Polanco at second base while deploying Julien at designated hitter. That would have limited their flexibility to cycle other players through the DH spot while potentially pigeon-holing one of Minnesota’s more talented young hitters to a bat-only role. Polanco had some experience at shortstop early in his career, but he moved off the position because of defensive shortcomings and clearly wasn’t going to start over Carlos Correa. Minnesota also tendered arbitration contracts to utility infielders Kyle Farmer and Nick Gordon. José Miranda remains on hand as an option at the corners, while former #8 overall pick Brooks Lee could make his MLB debut in 2024.

It surely wasn’t an easy call for the front office to move on from one of their longest-tenured players. Polanco had been in the organization since signing as a 16-year-old back in 2009. He reached the big leagues before his 21st birthday and established himself as a regular by 2016. Polanco earned an All-Star nod and down-ballot MVP votes in ’19 and played a key role on four playoff teams.

The amount of infield depth nevertheless made a trade a distinct possibility. Minnesota’s pitching staff took a hit with free agent departures of Sonny Gray, Kenta Maeda and Tyler Mahle. The Twins had done very little to balance the roster, citing payroll constraints related to their expiring local broadcasting contract. Minnesota was willing to field offers on their infield surplus, although president of baseball operations Derek Falvey made clear they’d seek MLB help as part of that return.

Seattle was open to parting with both a pair of big league arms and at least one of their top minor league talents to get the deal done. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times writes that the M’s plan to use Polanco as their primary second baseman. That could leave the lefty-hitting Rojas and the right-handed swinging Urías to share time at third base. The M’s could keep Polanco at the keystone for two years. They’ll take on this year’s $10.5MM salary and hold a $12MM option for 2025 that comes with a $750K buyout. If Polanco performs at the level the Mariners envision, they’d likely exercise that option.

The Mariners relinquish some of their pitching depth to make that happen. Topa has less name value of the two MLB players headed to Minneapolis, but he’s the more appealing trade asset. The right-hander was a key part of another excellent Seattle bullpen a year ago. Acquired from the Brewers for a minor league pitcher in what seemed an insignificant trade last winter, the righty put together a career year.

Topa, who had 17 career MLB appearances going into the season, pitched 75 times for the M’s a year ago. He worked to a 2.61 ERA across 69 innings. Topa’s 21.9% strikeout rate was a little below average, but he did an excellent job keeping the ball on the ground. Working with a 95 MPH sinker and a pair of breaking pitches in his cutter and slider, he induced worm-burners at a very strong 56.7% clip. His production increasingly earned the trust of manager Scott Servais. By year’s end, he’d picked up 23 holds and a trio of saves.

If Topa can maintain that kind of production, he’d be an asset for the Minnesota relief corps. There’s a fair bit of risk with the 6’4″ hurler. Topa will turn 33 before Opening Day and has a lengthy injury history. He had undergone two Tommy John procedures and a flexor tendon surgery during his time in Milwaukee, a major reason he hadn’t logged extended MLB action until last year.

He accrued a decent chunk of service time while on the injured list and surpassed the three-year mark a year ago. Seattle and Topa agreed to a $1.25MM salary to avoid arbitration. He’ll go through that process twice more and won’t reach free agency until after the 2026 campaign. Topa still has a pair of minor league options, so the Twins could send him to Triple-A if he struggles unexpectedly.

DeSclafani spent less than a month as a member of the Mariners. Seattle acquired the righty alongside Mitch Haniger in the trade sending Robbie Ray to the Giants just after the New Year. His inclusion in both trades is motivated in large part by finances.

The 33-year-old (34 in April) is set to make $12MM in the final season of a three-year free agent deal he inked with San Francisco. The Giants are paying half of that, sending $6MM to Seattle as part of the Ray trade. Seattle is moving that $6MM to Minnesota and including an additional $2MM. The Twins are responsible for the final $4MM on the deal.

It has been a tough couple years for DeScalfani, who was limited to five starts in 2022 before undergoing season-ending ankle surgery. Injures were again an issue last year. This time, a flexor strain in his throwing elbow ended his season in late July.

Before the arm injury, he had pitched 19 times and logged 99 2/3 innings. The nine-year veteran worked to a 4.88 ERA with a below-average 18.9% strikeout percentage. He walked fewer than 5% of opponents but he’s lost a few points off his strikeout and ground-ball numbers since his excellent 2021 campaign, when he posted a 3.17 ERA over 31 starts.

The Mariners were set to use DeSclafani in a long relief capacity. Minnesota could afford him a chance to battle for the #5 spot in the season-opening rotation. The Twins have Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack in the top four spots. DeSclafani and right-hander Louie Varland are the top options for the final rotation job. Whichever of those two starts the season in long relief could move into the rotation as injuries necessitate.

Gonzalez, who turned 20 this month, isn’t going to contribute at the MLB level anytime soon. He’s nevertheless arguably the headliner of the deal from Minnesota’s perspective. The right-handed hitting outfielder signed with Seattle for $1.3MM out of Venezuela during the 2021-22 international period. Baseball America recently ranked him the #5 prospect in the M’s system, while MLB Pipeline has him as the game’s #79 overall minor league talent.

Evaluators praise Gonzalez’s natural bat-to-ball skills. Those were on display in Low-A, where he hit .348/.403/.530 with a modest 13.7% strikeout rate in 335 plate appearances last year. However, Baseball America notes that Gonzalez has an extremely aggressive offensive approach that was exposed when he was promoted to High-A midseason. He struggled to a .215/.290/.387 slash while fanning at a 21.5% clip in 200 plate appearances at that level. Gonzalez walked in fewer than 7% of his plate appearances at both stops. As a below-average athlete who projects as a corner outfielder, he’ll need to improve his plate discipline to reach his potential.

Bowen, 22, was a 13th-round draftee in the 2022 draft. A product of UNC-Pembroke, he worked to a 3.88 ERA through 55 2/3 innings at Low-A in his first pro season. The 6’3″ right-hander ranked as Seattle’s #25 prospect at BA. The outlet credits him with low-mid 90s velocity and a potential above-average breaking pitch. Bowen draws praise for his athleticism but presently has below-average control, evidenced by a 10.9% walk rate in the minors.

Taking on Polanco’s contract will push Seattle’s payroll commitments into the $135MM range, as calculated by Roster Resource, depending on how much of the DeSclafani contract they’re retaining. They opened last season around $137MM. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto indicated early in the winter that Seattle expected to top last season’s spending and they’re now right near that mark. Minnesota’s payroll estimate drops to roughly $119MM, leaving them some flexibility to supplement the roster over the next few weeks.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first reported the sides were finalizing a trade sending Polanco to Seattle. Jeff Passan of ESPN confirmed an agreement was in place. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported the Twins were acquiring four players, two of whom were big leaguers. Robert Murray of FanSided reported Topa’s inclusion, while Dan Hayes of the Athletic had DeSclafani’s and Gonzalez’s involvement. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel reported the Twins were receiving Bowen and the presence of cash considerations, which Rosenthal specified were coming from Seattle’s end. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported the Mariners were paying upwards of $6MM in cash considerations. Hayes and Rosenthal specified the M’s were including $8MM in cash considerations.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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