Winter Meetings Review Day 3
The Winter Meetings are coming to a close, and Mariner fans are left waiting for their team to make a splash. The meetings have produced very little for the Mariners besides more rumors. A few newsworthy items did come out today:
1. The Mariners came close to trading Seth Smith to the Boston Red Sox before the Sox traded for Mitch Moreland. It is not known what the Mariners would have recieved, but it was likely a mid level prospect. Several reports have surfaced that the Mariners are trying to trade Smith to clear his $7 million salary to cast a larger net for a potential #3 pitcher. The Blue Jays, Orioles, Phillies and the Indians are all rumored to be interested in the platoon bat.
2. Surprise! It appears the Mariners interest in Mark Trumbo was overblown. The Mariners seem content with the firstbase platoon of Dan Vogelbach and Danny Valencia, but will likely continue to monitor the position for great value as the offseason drags on.
3. The Mariners added another arm who will compete in for the 5th spot in the rotation. The Mariners acquired Chris Heston from the San Francisco Giants for a PTBNL. Heston had a decent 2015 season, posting a 3.95 ERA in 177.2 innings. Heston only threw 5 innings last season, battling an arm injury most of the season. Jason Churchill has this to say about Heston:
This is merely a back-end ceiling play for Seattle. 87-90, SNK, SL, CB, CH guy. None are plus. 40 CMD, fringy CTL https://t.co/0RjUkaNQFN
— Jason A. Churchill (@ProspectInsider) December 7, 2016
Heston does have minor league options remaining, giving GM Jerry Dipoto versatility at the back end of the rotation, which is something Dipoto covets. Heston will likely compete with Rob Whalen, Ariel Miranda, Nate Karns, and several others for the final spot in the rotation, and will likely be bouncing between AAA Tacoma and the Mariners for the 2017 season.
4. The Mariners are not expecting to make a selection in the Rule 5 Draft tomorrow, per Jerry Dipoto, but could make a selection in the minor league portion. I wrote about some Rule 5 prospects I thought the Mariners might be interested in.
[Seattle Mariners 360 :: Rule 5 Draft Preview]The Mariners will likely go home without making a major move, but Mariners fans should fully expect a middle of the rotation arm before the Mariners report to Spring Training.
