The Seattle Mariners general manger Jerry Dipoto had two goals for his lineup after the baseball lockout was over. He needed another power bat and a left-handed hitter that could play in the outfield.
Dipoto was able to land both Jesse Winker, All-Star outfielder, and Eugenio Suarez, third baseman, in one deal. The package included a number of players.
“We feel that these guys make our lineup more long and ominous. It gives us the lineup depth playoff teams have,” Dipoto stated at the Mariners’ spring-training complex in Peoria. “This was our goal going into the offseason.”
Seattle has a left-handed hitter in Winker, who has been able to thrive when faced with right-handed pitching over recent seasons. He can also play in the outfield. Even though Suarez’s performance has been inconsistent since his shoulder surgery in early 2020 was a big boost to his power and he is only three years away from hitting 49 home runs.
Dipoto stated, “This was what we cited during the offseason as a goal. It was to make our lineup more impactful.” It’s difficult to make trades, and this was particularly painful because it’s the first time we’ve ever gone out and purchased what I would consider now premium offensive players. We have never been in that situation before. We had to accept that we were not able to acquire the premium offensive players we wanted, but that’s part and parcel of the business.
Seattle will send Justin Dunn, Jake Fraley, and Brandon Williamson, a top pitcher prospect and a player to the Reds. Dunn has played in 25 games over his career, but was unable to play due to shoulder pain last season. Fraley hit.210 last season with nine homers, and 36 RBIs. Williamson was a top-rated prospect in Seattle’s system but has not pitched above Double-A.
Winker has had the best season in his career, hitting.305 with 24 runs and 71 RBIs. Winker is exactly the type of player Dipoto said he wanted to add to the lineup.
Winker is likely to be in the left field rotation and will receive plenty of at-bats being a designated hitter.
“I look forward to going to Seattle. Winker stated, “I can’t wait.” It’s an opportunity for me to win. It’s a chance to win a division and to play in the playoffs. It’s something I have longed for all my life.”
The deal adds Suarez to strengthen the Mariners lineup. Suarez only hit.198 in his last season, but still managed to add 31 home runs. The season ended with a strong finish. He hit.370 and had a.808 slugging percent in the last month.
Suarez had 207 RBIs and hit 83 home runs in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Suarez will share a large portion of Seattle’s salary. As part of a 2018 deal with the Reds, he’s owed $11,000,000 each of the next three season.
Suarez was surprised at the trade and was sad to be leaving Reds.
Suarez stated, “This is difficult stuff. But I understand that this game is like this.”
Suarez also answered the question about who will take over at third base following the retirement of Kyle Seager. Abraham Toro, who was originally from Houston, was acquired last season and played mainly at second base. Seattle acquired Adam Frazier from Houston in a trade that took place prior to the baseball lockout. He was expected to play second base with some outfield duties.
For Seattle, Toro will likely play a utility infielder position.
Dipoto stated that the trade will likely end Seattle’s efforts to add to its offense. Dipoto stated that the team had been in contact with free agents throughout the weekend, but ran into “dead end” negotiations. He also said that communication with the Reds regarding this deal was ongoing and led to the trade.
Dipoto stated, “We won’t stop trying to improve but we feel really good about our offseason.” “If this is our last move in our offseason, we feel great about where we are at the end of it.”
