This week the winter meetings are happening in the Washington
D.C. area. Mariner’s general manager Jerry Dipoto is expected to come home with
a starting pitcher at the very least. Who that will be is anyone’s guess.
So far this off-season Dipoto has made six trades and has
changed seventeen players. We expected that the Mariners would go after getting
a shortstop to replace Marte. I don’t think that many of us would have thought
that Marte would be gone himself instead of going to the minor leagues however
it did make sense when the Mariners made the trade. The trade wasn’t the first
made by the Mariners however it was the biggest up to this date this
off-season. The Mariners sent Marte along with starting pitcher TaiJuan Walker
to the Arizona Diamondbacks for shortstop Jean Segura, outfielder Mitch Haniger
and left handed reliever Zac Curtis. Segura who had a really good season last
season with the Diamondbacks will be the Mariners shortstop after playing
second base for the backs. Haniger may
be the right handed bat platooning with Seth Smith in right field if he makes
the team. In the long run he could be the key to the trade for the Mariners. At
the very least Segura is another solid player in the Mariners infield. He helps
them up the middle along with Mike Zunino at catcher and Leonys Martin in
center field. Haniger being the right handed bat is not a sure thing he could
start the season at triple A but he is expected to be a really good player and
he is another athletic outfielder the Mariners have been looking for.
The Mariners may have Ben Gamel and Heredia who they acquired
this season to platoon in left field unless another outfielder is acquired
before spring training happens. It looks though the Mariners have improved in
the outfield and at shortstop.
First base is another story whether they have improved over
Adam Lind and Dae-Ho Lee who are both free agents and won’t be returning next
season. The Mariners traded for Daniel
Vogelbach in July from the Chicago Cubs for left handed pitcher Mike Montgomery
and the off-season in one of their first trades getting Danny Valencia from the
Oakland Athletics. Though he will be platooning at first base with the right
handed bat Valencia may play some outfield and third base when needed. How much he plays first base and the outfield
will depend on the young players.
The Mariners just signed left handed relief specialist Marc
Rzepczynski and right handed reliever Casey Fien as free agents. Marc as I will
call him be pitching primarily against left handed hitters late in the games
while Fien could start the season in triple A if he doesn’t make the team in the
bullpen.
The Mariners at the end of November traded former first round
pick Alex Jackson to the Atlanta Braves for two starting pitchers Robert Whalen
who may start the season in Seattle or triple A and Max Povse who may start in double
A. Actually Povse could be the key to that trade. He was one of the top
pitchers in the Atlanta Braves system.
The Mariners have made other trades as well that we will see
happens going into spring training. Who the Mariners get this week in the
winter meetings will be interesting. One of the players that the Mariners got
during the off-season or last year could be moved along. It will be interesting
to see what Dipoto has cooking this week. Go M’s.
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