The Mariners entered the rumor mill Monday as a team reportedly interested in acquiring Rays left-hander Blake Snell. Unsurprisingly, though, it would take a significant offer for the Mariners to acquire Snell. The Mariners would need to include any of three of their best young outfielders – Kyle Lewis, Jarred Kelenic or Julio Rodriguez – in order to get a deal done, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. Lewis is probably out of the question as a trade chip for Seattle, as he just won American League Rookie of the Year honors for 2020. Kelenic and Rodriguez may be off the table, too, considering they’re elite prospects. Nevertheless, you can’t blame the Rays for aiming high. After all, the soon-to-be 28-year-old Snell is a recent AL Cy Young winner (2018) who’s due an affordable $39MM over the next three seasons.
- Yankees first baseman Luke Voit has popped up in trade rumors early this offseason, but “that idea does not seem to have generated real traction in the front office,” Bryan Hoch of MLB.com writes. There doesn’t seem to be any reason for the Yankees to trade Voit, who’s coming off a huge year and under affordable control through 2023. Voit slashed .277/.338/.610 with a league-leading 22 home runs over 234 plate appearances in 2020.
- Teams in the majors, Nippon Professional Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization have shown interest in free-agent first baseman/outfielder Eric Thames this offseason, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Thames spent the prior four seasons in the majors with the Brewers and Nationals, with whom he combined for a .237/.339/.486 line and 75 home runs in 1,428 plate appearances, but he struggled in Washington last year. Thames was previously a folk hero in Korea before joining the Brewers, even earning the nickname “God” during an incredible run with the KBO’s NC Dinos from 2014-16.
- Ex-NFL quarterback and current Mets minor league outfielder Tim Tebow said earlier this month that he hasn’t given up on his baseball career. Neither has Mets president Sandy Alderson, who was at the helm of their front office when they signed Tebow in 2016. Alderson stated Monday that the Mets are hopeful the 33-year-old Tebow will continue pursuing his baseball dream in 2021, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post. “I think that the organization has already benefited significantly from his involvement with the Mets and his pursuit of a baseball career,” said Alderson, who added that “he’s entitled to another shot post-COVID. And I’m happy he’s coming back.”
Does Tebow actually think he has a chance. Like I would know if I was him. Anyways I wish him the best of luck.
Bleh…. the Tim Tebows and Bo Jacksons of the world who approach major league baseball like it’s a hobby annoy me. That being said, of course, there aren’t many in this world who can play well enough in two different sports to reach the highest levels in both of them.
Lol! Bo Jackson was a great baseball player until his hip injury playing for the Raiders. I still remember watching him with the Royals.. Tebow is nowhere near where Jackson was as player.
Thank you! He actually took Baseball more serious. He would show up to raiders camp “out of shape”.
If Bo had been able to play out his big league career, he was probably getting better for a bit and was a guy that was going to be talked about in mythical terms even if he didn’t quite have the numbers to be an outright HOFer.
I would say the two sport guys would rank Hubbard, Jackson, Winfield, Jordan, Sanders, Elway and then way down there is Tebow.
I would say the two sport guys would rank Hubbard, Jackson, Winfield, Brian Jordan, Sanders, Elway, Michael Jordan and then way down there is Tebow.
Tebow is probably a better hitter than Jordan. MJ doesn’t belong on a list with Bo and Sanders.
Pretty mythical as it is, huh?
Bob Hayes was a great two-sport athlete.
He meant Brian Jordan not Michael Jordan
Danny Ainge is a Blue Jay alumni
Baseball was not a hobby for Jackson, but he was not a great player. Jackson’s lifetime OBP was 309. He had a couple good years, never had a WAR above 3.5.
He put both Brian and Michael
He’s a more athletic Chris Weinke.
Hayes was called “the world’s fastest human.”
Bo Jackson was really good, and I doubt he took baseball as a hobby. He was an above average hitter in 5 seasons according to ops+, and he had an ops over .800 3 times in his 6 seasons. A one time all star, and a guy that could probably have a spot on any team at the time no problem.
Bo Jackson never took anything as a “Hobby”. He was the greatest pure athlete I have ever seen in my 7 decades of watching sports. His hip injury was catastrophic.
Amen brother!
Deion Sanders.
Dick Groat
@DrDan
That’s a clown comment bro
I’m glad everyone called him out on it.
Bo was the best of all time at everything
Bo Knows
Mookie Betts could be a major league bowler if he wanted to….Just saying..lol
Baseball was not a hobby for Bo Jackson. He literally was a superstar stud! He was gifted enough to play two sports at a level men only dream about. Tebow is ONLY there for his name. He has AA baseball talent. They only keep him for attendance increases to where he plays.
They should sell high on Voit.
I don’t think he cares if the chance is low or not, it’s an opportunity to expand on his brand and make more dough and of course the Mets see it as a money making opportunity, so it just makes economical sense to continue this show until Tebow decides to quit or he’s so outrageously bad the Mets have to cut him as it cost them more to not develop legitimate prospects. I think he’ll get called up at some point. Mets aren’t gonna miss on that money making opportunity.. but it will only be when fans are in the stands
I would think Kyler Murray would be on that list before some especially if you meant Michael Jordan. Murray was taken 9 overall.
The As draft good then trade the players when they get expensive. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Murray in an As uni at some point.
He runs a lot and has taken some petty big hits against Seattle alone. He gets down but still has a penchant to try and get another yard. That is when he gets popped. He is tough though but how many years of wear and tear will be take before he thinks baseball can’t be this bad?
Did anyone really think some of the rumors behind the Yankees thinking about trading Voit had substance? It just would not have made sense for the Yankees to trade him unless the return was massive.
I think they could’ve been easily if he had been discussed in a trade for a starting C, SP or Lindor. Other than than it wouldn’t make sense. And, no, I’m not suggesting Voigt for Lindor, only that he could’ve been included as one piece. I feel somehow this will be taken out of context as some abhorrent trade proposal.
Voit Andujar Nelson for Lindor & Plasec
DJ to 1B
GT to 2B
Sign Lindor 5/$100M
What world are you living in?
That sounds like a trade some Cubs fan would propose lol.
Dave I needed a good laugh! Just the Lindor 5/100 was ridiculous enough.
@Calcetines, I’ve seen ridiculous trade proposals from numerous fan bases, my White Sox included. They usually happen when fans overvalue their top prospects. The most out there trade proposals I’ve seen often involve the Yankees, but that’s likely because there are just so many fans. Bound to be a few nutjobs in a crowd that big.
Yeah I remember Yankees fans a couple of years ago when Andújar was a prospect saying he’s untouchable and he’s the 3B of the future.
Lindor is taking 5/100? Hahahahaha
NO
There’s a good chance the tribe could be looking to move Plesac after the BS he pulled, but the idea that that they would move him and Lindor at the same time for THAT return is just comical.
And then he placed second in the ROY competition. Agreed, A LOT to be desired in defense, but he was always touted for his arm and his offense.
dave enjoyed a bit too much cocaine today
Well, all things can change with time and injuries which Andujar had which took him out of the starting lineup and on the shelf for a full season….coming back, he didn’t seem the same and of course you have Covid….so what’s your point….he finished 2nd in rookie of the year voting (while many thought the Ohtani fix was in but that’s a homer comment) obviously others valued him highly also….you guys need to stop berating Yankee fans for anything and everything when all I read is fantasy with the Padres, Rays, Red Sox etc. each and every day….and most probably, many of those far flung comments are made by other teams fans coming up with Yankee comments about things they only read and don’t know.
In all actuality, he may in fact be part of the Yankees plans full time once and if we resume full season activity but that remains to be seen, but this guy, while having a questionable glove, has always hit at every level of minor and major league play.
Come on Dave, that is ridiculous! If the Yankees want Lindor & Plesac, the package starts at: Voit, Frazier, Garcia or Gil & one more prospect. Also, no way Lindor signs for under $30M/yr.
@YankeeClipper, TBH, Voit for Lindor is far from the most ridiculous proposal I’ve seen, considering Lindor is just a rental. People who think the Indians are going to take Sanchez / Andujar and some lottery ticket prospects in exchange for Lindor are nuts. As you say, a little more would be needed to even it up in value, but the biggest problem I have with it is the Indians need OF help much more than they need a 1B/DH type.
Fans frequently overvalue the value of great or very good players in the last year of their contract. Lindor is a rental who will be looking for $30M a year for 5-7 years. A very limited amount of team are willing to go there especially this year given the pandemic. A team like the Indians might have to gamble and hold him to the trade deadline for a team looking for a piece that puts them over the top. That is very risky as they could get nothing. So that is probably not happening.
Would a fair deal for both sides not be. This would be if the Yanks could extend him also, Frazier,Andujar, Voit + a young prospect arm for Lindor and Plesak? Than the Yanks sign DJ for 1st base and sign a catcher to help Sanchez behind the plate(not JTR)
Thanks for that comment hyrax, and exactly what team are you the GM for?
Most teams make trades that they feel make sense, not waiting for all of us who comment to bless the trade……if the Indians value upside, then taking Sanchez, who by the way is the fastest catcher to hit 100 homers ever, and Andujar who finished second in Rookie of the Year voting just year before last, then a trade for a 1 year rental might make sense…..the issue is we are not the decision makers for the Indians or any team….we just get to Monday morning QB each and every thing about the sport.
Rocky7 – Gary Sanchez has little upside and the Indians would never roster, let alone trade anything of value for Gary Sanchez. The Indians value defense, especially at the catcher position and have the 2-time AL Gold Glove winning catcher. Both Andujar and Sanchez are DH only players and few teams will want a DH that strikes out 1/3 of the time which is what Sanchez has averaged of the past 3 seasons. The Indians also already have a DH.
Cleveland would say no. I don’t see the small market Indians trading 5 years of a controllable starting pitcher in Plesac. Besides it would likely take that package to get Plesac alone.
It for sure has substance ! Yanks try to unload their over performers every year at peak value and try to acquire superstars. Last year it was the 3rd basemen they wanted to flip badly for hader
While Tebow’s performance hasnt warranted another shot, Alderson is correct in that he has provided a benefit – minor league ticket sales, and in a year with so much revenue loss, the Mets are smart to keep him around.
That’s why they let Michael Jordan essentially play in the white Sox organization as long as he wanted.
@DrDan
That’s a clown comment bro
@Brrac2brac – DrDan’s comment about MJ is spot on. What are you playing at?
Yo Mo
It’s wonky tech. That comment was for some stupid sh## DrD was spouting up above. This is a duplicate that wasn’t intended for the MJ post, but hey maybe he’s such a clown that the cosmos thought it should be said 2x
Exactly. And if Tebow draws people who wouldn’t otherwise go to games, hopefully some become fans and stick around.
It’s minor league ball. It’s supposed to be fun for fans.
Tebow will never earn the nickname “God” on the baseball diamond. A minor diety of marketing ploys, maybe.
No he will not, Thames did earn that nickname in the KBO. I wouldn’t be surprised if Thames is offered Minor league deals since he tends to rake against RHP. He likely will head back unless he receives an MLB contract offer.
I don’t doubt it. He looked like the vitamins over there were incredibly nutritious when he arrived back in the MLB.
The Mariners are not going to give up those players for Blake Snell. Not a shot at how great Snell is as a pitcher but let’s be real..
They better not. I’ll be so pissed but it wouldn’t surprise me.
Emerson Hancock?
Snell is a good, solid but not great pitcher. The Rays are just dangling him looking for a bite and the possibility of a big haul. No way do the Mariners give up their most exciting player since Ichiro (Kyle Lewis) for him.
Article didn’t say they’d give up those players, plural, just that one would have to be included. It’s a high price, but they’d be getting a guy who’d be #2 on a large number of teams, the ace on some. And he’s on a very team-friendly deal. The best reason Seattle should stay clear is it’s not ready to compete just yet. They’d waste at least one year of his deal while their prospects arrive and learn the game at the MLB level (not all will take to it as quickly as Lewis). I don’t think the inclusion of one of them is an overpay, but I would agree it’s not the right move for the Mariners.
White Sox not giving up their young core players either for Snell.
Maybe Mendick and Burger?
Lewis is a bust ! He hit 400 for a month- almost all his stats came in that time and the only reason his stats looked good was bc the season was so short. Sell him now at peak value
Lets be real about what? Snell has insane value when you consider the market. Snell is TOR for 3/39m. You don’t get that value without dangling one of those guys
Talented lefty Blake Snell is not an obvious target for the Seattle Mariners, whose starting rotation returns lefthanders Marco Gonzales, Justus Sheffield and Yusei Kikuchi, who this year posted 2.0 fWAR in 11 starts, 1.6 fWAR in 10 starts and 1.1 fWAR in nine starts. In contrast, this year Snell posted 0.6 fWAR in 11 starts.
Snell, who failed to post a quality start this year in 16 outings between the regular season and postseasons, ranks 55th among all pitchers in fWAR since the start of the 2019 season.
The Mariners might look to trade for a righthander such as Joe Musgrove or Jameson Taillon or a sign a free agent righthander such as Taijuan Walker or former Ray Chris Archer.
Or not.
Is Julio Rodriguez worth Blake Snell? GMs and PoBO love to overvalue prospects, but I look at any of those three prospects and cringe at the thought of trading them. I like the idea of a package of Gilbert and Kirby or Gilbert, Raleigh, and Campbell, but Rodriguez seems steep… and he’s their 2nd best prospect. My point is, Rodriguez, Kelenic, and Lewis seem like un-touchable building blocks, while I think a package centered around Gilbert seems very reasonable.
i would rather have 6 years of gilbert than 3 of snell ,For me another lefty starter is a no go. If they want a good starter just buy 1 and save the prospects.it took to long to aquire
That’s where I sit on this too. The M’s seem to be in a good place when it comes to development right now, so why trade the up and coming pieces that look to be good players in the long run? And Gilbert’s timeline matches up with the next playoff window of this team, so I’d rather stay put this off-season.
You would be nuts not to trade Gilbert for Snell.
I would imagine Seattle’s interest is more about due diligence.
Easy to see them bringing Walker back, then targetting Syndergaard next offseason.
I would agree Stevil. If they didn’t already have good left handed starting pitchers than I may disagree, but with Gonzalez, Shef and the potential of Kukuchi, I’d consider it a no go for one of our top prospects. However, if it didn’t take that (say trammel with extras), then yes.
Voit won’t get a HUGE haul. The need a shortstop if they resign DJ and move Gleyber to second. Voit odd man out.
You’re not valuing Snell correctly. Snell still had very good peripherals in 2019 even in a ‘down’ year where he was injured. He is coming off a stronger performance in 2020, including demonstrating that he could shutdown the best lineup in the game (and among the all time greats) in the world series. This isn’t some middling pitcher you’re going to get without a mega package, especially when the Rays don’t have to trade him
This year Blake Snell ranked 92nd among all pitchers in fWAR during the regular season. Since the start of the 2019 season Snell ranks 55th in fWAR. Over his first two seasons in 2016-17 Snell ranked 81st in fWAR.
How much is a trade partner wiilling to surrender for Snell’s 2018 Cy Young season when the lefthander ranked 12th among all pitchers in fWAR?
The small sample of Snell’s 2020 postseason performance is the sales pitch one makes to the least experienced owner in a fantasy baseball league. An MLB front office is less likely to be persuaded. Snell still managed to make it through the 2020 regular season and postseason without recording a quality start under the arbitrary definition of that statistic.
The answer is a ton. If the Rays move him it will be for a minimum of 2-55 FV prospects and a 50 FV or a 60 FV and a 55 FV or they’ll keep him. If you’re talking about the M’s, it will be something like one of Kelenic/Rodriguez and one of Hancock/Gilbert/Kirby. Steep for sure, but there is no way the Rays will trade away 3 years of cheap control over Snell without getting a similar return. The Rays traded away starting pitchers Garza, Shields and Archer for large hauls and they’ll do the same with Snell this offseason or next. Look to trades like the Cubs acquiring Quintana as the basis for a Rays deal. That was a 60 FV OF and 55 FV pitcher as the headliners.
Let’s not overvalue Blake Snell, who had an outlier Cy Young season amid an otherwise pedestrian career.
Baseball Trade Values assigns median surplus values of $52.4 million to Snell, $73.8 million to Julio Rodriguez, $68.9 million to Jarred Kelenic and $25.8 million to Logan Gilbert.
The Rays may seek a huge haul but they’re not getting one from the Mariners, who return three lefthanded starters who far outperformed Snell in fWAR this season.
Well, I’m sure the M’s would like to have Snell, being a hometown boy and all, but never at that price. Maybe if they were one pitcher away from contending, but let’s not kid ourselves. They still have a ways to go from contending.
I can see Thames heading back to Korea or Japan next season. He’s basically a platoon 1B/DH here but was an everyday player and a big power hitter there
Trammell and Kirby is the most i’d give up for Snell
I wouldn’t even do that. The Mariners aren’t ready to compete. As someone said earlier, they are just doing their due diligence on Snell. It’s more likely they bring back Walker or Paxton as our young SP’s get ready to make the jump to the big leagues.
Over the past three seasons, including his 2018 Cy Young campaign, Blake Snell has posted 8.1 fWAR ion 65 starts while free agent lefthander James Paxton has posted 7.5 fWAR in 62 starts.
If Seattle wants a fragile southpaw the Mariners should just bring Paxton back to near his British Columbia roots without expending prospect capital.
Trammell and Kirby seems about right. I’d add Carlson.
There should never be a comma before the word too.
Actually, there should. Same as now.
I, too, agree with your grammatical analysis.
Bo Jackson…the only player EVER to make an mlb all star team and an nfl pro bowl team.
Bo former White Sox! Yay!
TB and BOS have traded in the past, but usually someone on an expiring deal.
That said, imagine a scenario where BOS signs springer and brings back jbj.
Would a package of Verdugo + Chavis and one or two prospects net Snell?
Or, imagine BOS brings back jbj. Would Verdugo + Chavis plus a couple extra and better quality prospects net Snell plus KK who TB is said to want to get out from the contract on?
Maybe even you do get jbj and springer, but you trade verdugo, benny, chavis, and a few prospects for Snell and KK…
Idea is, you wonder if there’s a win win in there somewhere…
“A win-win”
That’s one more win the Red Sox are getting all 2021. They already got back your butt buddy Cora, keep dreaming on Springer or JBJ. Though, Springer would fit in with the garbage can full of cheaters in Boston.
Mariners would be foolish not to consider Kelenic in a deal for Snell.
First of all, Kelenic is still just a prospect whereas Snell is a CY Young award winner. 2nd, Snell is a local kid and that draws. With King Felix gone the homers around here need some red meat (yes, I live in the area but not a Mariner fan). 3rd, we’re not talking about a rental player here, Snell would be under team control for the next 3 years at a reasonable rate. With the rise of Lewis and some other solid veterans around acquiring Snell in a Kelenic centric trade makes a lot of sense.
Finally, Cy Young award winners in their prime don’t often hit the trade market. And they’re really expensive. Far more than the 95% of all outfielders. Is Kelenic a top 5% OF? Probably not so trading him for Snell is worth the squeeze.
Snell is a really good pitcher with 3 years of control left. If he can get back to his Cy Young level, he’d be worth Kelenic, but not right now. He has put up pretty good seasons since his Cy Young in 18′, and he is cheap moving forward… but Kelenic is a building block. He could always be a bust, but he is about as surefire as any prospect right now with his elite tool set in the outfield. This isn’t to say that the M’s shouldn’t go get Snell, but the Rays would have to drop their price a little for it to happen. I can realistically see a deal happening with Gilbert being the headliner, but even then I wouldn’t do it. The M’s have a nice young core of up and coming guys to build around, and they should go the waiting game/ free agency route rather than going and trading for a guy right now. Snell is a cheap and controllable ace, but I don’t see them as a good match right now unless the Rays stop asking for Kelenic, Rodriguez, and Lewis.
OK, I don’t always do I told you so’s but when you mentioned Kelenic as a surefire prospect it made me think of another surefire can’t miss prospect.
Before I mention the has been’s name, here are Kelenic’s age 19 stats and then another sure fire prospect at the same age:
Kelenic, .291/.364/.540….that’s a .904 OPS boys and girls
Mystery prospect at age 19, .315/.382/.540…. .927 OPS
The mystery Propsect….Lastings Milledege.
The point being there are no can’t miss prospects and Snell is more a bird in the hand rather than 2 in the bush acquisition.
Mariner’s are probably not close enough to contention to make the deal though
On the flip side, Kyle Lewis had decent numbers in the minors, but nothing that jumped off the page. You just never know who’s going to be a superstar for sure until they get to that level. Even then, you often have to wait a year or two.
The problem with the Mariners trading Kelenic, Lewis, or Rodriguez for Snell is that the Mariners are not good enough to go after a guy like Snell right now. When you look at the Mariners major league team and farm system, they are probably two years away from becoming a playoff-caliber team. They should wait to start trading their top prospects until they are closer to their contention window.
This isn’t sarcasm, just well done lol. I’m feeling lazy tonight, so I’m not going to go through top 100 prospect list from the 2010’s to try and prove a point, but to your point, yes, prospects bust. Not all of them, but yes, some bust. It would just be hard for me to pull the trigger on a Snell for Kelenic deal when he is the guy the farm is practically built around. Snell is two years off from the Cy Young, and he has been a really good pitcher, but just not that level. He’s worth a good haul, but just imo, not Kelenic, Rodriguez, or Lewis. Just a bundle of some high ceiling, good floored prospects.
Finally, the M’s org the past few years has seemed to let prospects flourish in their system. This, I’d imagine, is due to keeping a good attitude with them and letting them play their game. I’ll link an article about Milledge , and maybe some of the reasons he failed in the bigs (arrogance is a big thing). It’s an interesting side to the story, and it goes to show that a lot of the time, most players don’t just get the “Yips”; in fact, there are reasons to most failures a lot of the time. This isn’t to try and prove you wrong btw, it’s just showing a different side of the “can’t miss… missed prospect” stories.
Here: google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s…
I was gonna suggest the Mariners trade Kelenic for a closer with high strike-out rates, but the memories of Lastings Milledge burn bright. For reals though, you want Sugar for the prospect? Throw in the rights to a prodigious second baseman and you don’t even have to pay him this season! #lfgm
Prospects bust, that is true. But a lot of Cy Young winners never approach that level again as well. For every Verlander and deGrom, there is a Rick Porcello, Dallas Keuchel, Jake Arrietta, and RA Dickey. They were all still good pitchers after their big year, but I don’t think any of them have really come close to replicating their Cy Young seasons. I think Snell is probably closer to a career year wonder than an all time great.
That being said, I wouldn’t trade Kyle Lewis for him since Lewis is proven. But I would not hesitate to give up Kelenic OR Rodriguez. Not and, but or. Seattle does not need three top prospect outfielders. I think the Angels have proven that even having the greatest outfielder in the game means nothing come October. And I am willing to bet that none of those three approach Trout’s numbers.
The problem with waiting is that Cy Young winners on reasonable contracts aren’t being offered for trade any time you want them. Hitters are more fun to watch, but nothing improves a team more than a top of the rotation arm.
I don’t think it’s fair to include Keuchel in that. He won the CYA in 2015, but was excellent in 2014, 2017, and 2020. His 2020 numbers were arguably better than his 2015 numbers; he just had no chance of winning again with the season Bieber had. He still placed 5th in voting.
RA Dickey was pretty damn good with the Mets for a while. We were sad to see him go.
I was asking for a tradeback of Diaz and Cano for Kelenic. Trying to be funny and obviously failing. That was a dumb move by BVW at a time we needed more than one final piece.
@rangers29
Thanks for the link – mets fans will know of the site, doubtless, but there a couple of other decent articles on there, one with regard to David Wright.
Rangers29–as a Rangers fan, you should know how many top position player prospects don’t pan out as most of the Rangers’ top position player prospects have not amounted to much in the last 10 years (Profar, Mazara, Taveras, Brinson, Guzman, Alfaro, Choice and Olt)
Source: MLB Top 100 Prospects – Top OF’s on list
2011:
#1 Trout
#2 Harper
#3 Wil Myers
#4 Aaron Hicks
#5 Brett Jackson
#6 Guillermo Pimentel
#7 Gary Brown
#8 Reymond Fuentes
#9 Matt Szczur
#10 Christian Yelich
2012:
#1 Wil Myers
#2 Oscar Taveras
#3 Billy Hamilton
#4 Christian Yelich
#5 Bubba Starling
#6 Byron Buxton
#7 Jake Marisnick
#8 JBJ
#9 Mason Williams
#10 Albert Almora
2013:
#1 Byron Buxton
#2 Oscar Taveras
#3 Nick Castellanos
#4 Gregory Polanco
#5 Billy Hamilton
#6 Albert Almora
#7 George Springer
#8 Jorge Soler
#9 JBJ
#10 Mason Williams
2014:
#1 Bryon Buxton
#2 Joc Pederson
#3 Josh Bell
#4 Alex Jackson
#5 Albert Amora
#6 David Dahl
#7 Jesse Winkler
#8 Clint Frazier
#9 Austin Meadows
#10 Jorge Soler
2015:
#1 Byron Buxton
#2 Nomar Mazara
#3 Aaron Judge
#4 Austin Meadows
#5 Manuel Margot
#6 Bradley Zimmer
#7 Jesse Winkler
#8 Brett Phillips
#9 Billy McKinney
#10 Clint Frazier
2016:
#1 Andrew Benintendi
#2 Austin Meadows
#3 Victor Robles
#4 Lewis Brinson
#5 Clint Frazier
#6 Aaron Judge
#7 Eloy Jimenez
#8 Mickey Moniak
#9 Bradley Zimmer
#10 Manuel Margot
2017
#1 Victor Robles
#2 Eloy Jimenez
#3 Ronald Acuna
#4 Shoehi Ohtani
#5 Kyle Tucker
#6 Lewis Brinson
#7 Austin Meadows
#8 Luis Robert
#9 Alex Verdugo
#10 Loedy Taveras
Looking at batting lines alone is a good way to blow a proper evaluation of a prospect. Tools, character, ethics, etc. are more important than results, especially when a prospect is facing older and more experienced competition. Then there’s park factors, (new) defensive assignments, adjustments that take time to assess… the list goes on. Kyle Lewis’ career line the minors wasn’t that impressive, yet he’s now the AL ROY.
There are no guarantees in baseball, but that goes without saying, and Rangers29 was careful with his wording and he wasn’t wrong. Scouts have touted Kelenic as having a high-floor and a high-ceiling. He absolutely is a building block for Seattle.
Seattle isn’t sacrificing Kelenic, nor Rodriguez, for 3 years of Snell and they won’t be foolish for standing pat.
Whoever acquires Snell will pay a lot and the acquiring team’s fans will be upset at the prospects included in the deal. The one wild card for the M’s is Dipoto has been their GM for 5 seasons and they’ve only had 2 winning seasons and no playoff berths under his tenure. While the argument for the M’s not being in the correct place along the win curve to trade for Snell is valid, never underestimate the motivation of someone sitting on a red hot seat.
Except Dipoto isn’t in the hot-seat. Ownership bought in to his rebuilding plan and they know full well patience must be exercised.
And why would he be in the hot-seat? He took the farm from dead-last to top-3 over the span of just two offseasons. If anything, he’d be in the hot-seat if he broke away from that plan.
That said, of course he knows there’s value in getting the team to the postseason, even if only has a wild card. But they don’t need Snell to do that. There are a number of free agents that could help them tighten up and take another step forward.
Blake Snell is more likely to be the next Erik Bedard than Jarred Kelenic is to be the next Lastings Milledge.
Headliners and prospects each carry risks.
Of the 81 pitchers who tossed at least 50 innings this year, Snell at 29.4 percent easily had the highest percentage of fly balls result in home runs:
fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=pit&…
Small sample and all … and not particularly meaningful in isolation, but interesting nonetheless.
No. 81 at the bottom of the list was Seattle lefthander Justus Sheffield at 4.4 percent.
Then let us be fools and worry about you’re own player. Just because we HAVE to consider doesn’t mean it’s a smart move. That’s like saying Tampa HAS to consider moving Blake Snell for mediocre prospects. Whose opinion its coming from means a great deal.
You have list your mind.
Dave, rebuilding teams don’t cough up players they’ve identified as part of their future core for 3 years of a starting pitcher that almost never throws more than 6 innings, and name-recognition would do less for attendance with a starter that pitches every 5th or 6th day than a potential star fielder that plays every day.
Seattle isn’t just one player away from contention, either, so Snell wouldn’t put them over the top. They’re still very much dependent on a number of prospects who have yet to debut, and while they could shop for a veteran fielder to replace Kelenic’s eventual spot in 2021, it would make a lot more sense to keep him (and the rest of their elite prospects) and invest in a front-line starter next offseason.
Keep in mind not every prospect is going to hit the ground running like Lewis did. It may be 2-3 years for those elite prospects to be productive (and that’s an ‘if’), and though Seattle could buy some help, the last thing they should do is trade away from their talent pool and lean of free agency.
Fortunately, all this speculation is nothing more than that. It’s highly unlikely Dipoto breaks from his plan. Seattle wants to take a step forward next season. They don’t need Snell to do that and this isn’t about not liking Snell, it’s about understanding where they are and what their long-term intentions are.
Snell could make sense for Seattle, but not at the expense of players like Kelenic. He’d make a lot more sense as a free agent.
I may agree with you if the M’s were close, but they aren’t. There is no way in hell I’d give up any of the M’s top 5 prospects for Snell at this point.
It may be a longshot, but I’m still hoping the White Sox put in an offer for Snell. Ideal would be sign Springer, sign Cruz, trade Vaughn and Stiever (or one of several other pitching prospects). Of these, only the Springer one is that realistic, and even then, I think the Mets may be the favorite.
Idk, anytime the Ray’s gove up one of their promising pitchers, it always makes me leery like they know something about said pitcher.
Also, history would suggest that the Rays tend to know just about exactly when to trade their pitchers at their prime peak in value. Then, once the players leave, their performance tends to go downhill on a decline..
Maybe the Rays see something in Snell that tells them his best days are behind him. Idk, I would just be a little leery if I’m another team looking at acquiring him..
People always say it’s better to get rid of an asset a year too early than a year too late, and the Ray’s seem to do this perfectly with their stud pitchers. Look no further than the Tigers for how to mishandle your top pitching assets. They’ve made terrible decision after decision for the past 10 years or so, and it has cost them dearly..
“idk” isn’t a word. Just type it out, it isn’t that hard.
Go away
Idk, imo I dn’t like typing rn.
I don’t normally agree with the grammar police, but the guy typed four paragraphs. Just type out the words. Text speak has its place on Twitter and such where the comments are brief and characters are limited, but if you writing that long a response, it just makes you look silly to abbreviate.
Neither is typing out “is not” but you do not see yourself or Bleach Injector wasting moments of pitiful existence commenting about it now do you?
This is the trailer park of baseball commenting. If you get annoyed with acronyms, you’re in for a brutal experience here.
They are a cheaper As team. They *have* to do this to stay competitive long term. They can’t afford to let a pitcher walk for a draft pick, or wait till the last year and get 1 decent player vs 2 or 3 elite prospects. They have to proactively sell and churn out the next arm
Mariners are primed with young arms, why trade for Snell? All the M’s need to do is overhaul the pen, let the kids play out.
@madjack
Seattle will probably bring in a starting pitcher via free agency and possibly target a front-line starter next offseason. But they really are stacked with pitching prospects. Though Dunn is probably destined for relief duties, Hancock, Gilbert, Kirby, Williamson, and Then are all very real, solid future options in addition to Gonzales and Sheffield.
More importantly, they’re still assessing a number of players and won’t likely contend for a World Series for a couple of more years. The timing with Snell right now really doesn’t align with Seattle’s plan and the bullpen is, like you said, the area where they need to focus. Taking another step forward will depend on relief improvement.
If the Rays want to add one of their top 2 or 3 relievers, then JerDip might give one of the top 5 + a 6-10 prospect + for them
If the Rays add in an elite reliever, then I think you’d have to give up more than just a top 5 plus a top ten prospect.
Writing JerDip makes you look foolish and lazy. Why not use Swype and run your fingers fast over the keys and spell out Jerry Dipoto? It is not that hard but you have to add Dipoto to your dictionary.
Lol I really hate grammar police on this site. If someone types out or swypes out a word and you understand what it says does it matter? Enjoy reading the comments or don’t but leave the grammar police in the closet. IMHO
For years i was angry about the trade that sent adam jones to baltimore for eric bedard . the mariners dont need snell, they dont need another bedard.
Long as it’s not a 5 for 1 like Bedard then ok. Obviously don’t make Lewis the Adam Jones guy leaving but Julio or Jared departing with 1 would be an acceptable gamble and the Mariners have how many outfielders on their current roster along with how many in the minors? There’s only so many spots an outfielder can play and Seattle can “hold” all they want but after a while you gotta take a chance or 2
I’d vote no to ;that completely. Snell is not going to put the M’s over the top, so why trade a top 20 prospect in all of baseball.
Mariners should consider moving one of their outfield prospects. They have 3.
Trammell is the only outfielder I’d trade if I were Seattle for Snell. A Kelenic, Rodriguez, Lewis outfield of the future is the perfect scenario. Plus you have a plethora of young SP’s to grow with ceilings that have the potential to be Snell. No, hold the farm and grow you’re talent. Stay away from pitchers that can’t go beyond 6+ innings.
Given prospect attrition perhaps the Mariners should keep three outfield prospects.
Or not.
Instead of our top OF prospects the package should include Hanniger, but with his injuries the past 2 years he’s a buy low now. Dipoto should have traded him 2 years ago when Atlanta was offering to dump their entire Farm System on Hanniger, but then we missed that opportunity. I didn’t want to get rid of Hanniger back then though, but now we have Julio Rodriguez, Kelenic, Lewis, and even a few other guys that would justify letting Hanniger go now.
If the Mariners are serious about Snell then they should be getting serious about acquiring one more bat. Snell is the type of acquisition you make if you feel your club is going to compete and win the division title. They might as well take a run at bullpen help too while they’re at it.
Maaan, Rays need to do anything in their power to pry Julio Rodriguez awa from the M’s. Kid is the real deal. Great work ethic, awesome personality, physical tools, and the kid shows soo much humility.
Good luck
Not going to happen
You know if I was Thames i would go back overseas to play. He has made millions, he knows what its like which won’t be a culture shock. I think he really enjoyed his time there last time. Plus their covid is under control too. Move back after he has lived it up.
Easy to see Colorado being interested in Thames.
put Tebow in a Pirates uni, he might get his shot with a team like this. what could they loose?
if Tebow had any other name he would be considered an interesting story rather than an object of ridicule by the overly critical fan.
This is a tough one.
I think Snell is getting ready to really rebound. People are looking at his last two, injury plagued, years to suggest he’s not all that, forgetting the talent is elite. When right, Snell is probably the games most dominant lefty SP. He is also in his clear prime, just shy of 28. THAT has value.
On the other hand I am a HUGE fan of the 3 OF prospects being mentioned in the deal and based on a proven history of “prospects”, all will NOT reach their potential. So it’s easy on first glance, find the guy least likely to make it and center a package for Snell on that player. Trouble is WHO THE HELL is that guy? I am finding almost zero weaknesses in Kelenic and Rodriquez and the weaknesses Lewis supposedly had seem to not be concerning, at least on first MLB glance.
My issue is Snell is a rotation game changer. If Seattle wishes to content, stacking him into that rotation goes a long way toward that. However, these prospects Seattle has do not look like ordinary prospects to me, Rodriquez and Kelenic look special. Though I know both have a ways to, though Kelenic did ascend to AA I think so he’s coming.
That leaves Kyle Lewis. ROY for sure. Do you trade THAT? For a Cy Young winner, absolutely, especially if you have players you feel may present with greater upside. Does Kyle Lewis hit tool holes resurface?
If Seattle trades Lewis do they get worse in the lineup short term? Hard to say. They are getting Haniger back healthy and when healthy he is good, Dylan Moore really began to blossom last year and he can handle the OF spot. Yes I know Moore is likely more a Corner Guy/Infielder, but maybe Bishop/Fraley could hold down CF until one of the kids is ready. Or go find another low cost, stop gap option (Pilar) or find a post hype prospect (Dustin Fowler). Maybe St.Louis would trade Bader or Lane Thomas for something palatable?
I don’t know, but when someone is shopping a in his prime TOR starter who appeared to dial back in his 2018 brilliance toward the end of the truncated 2020 season you have to consider it, because despite the volatility and injury implications of pitching, the bottom line is you can’t win without it.
This is where IMO Trammel fits in. He is a very athletic player that was always going to be a trade piece. Does he have the upside of the other three? Probably more than Lewis.
The problem with trading one of the top three would be a let down for Seattle fans. It would be more of the same for the casual fan. Trade Bedard for Jones and lose that trade horribly. TB could get Trammel and some other guys and not have the impact on fans as losing one of the three. They have been too hyped here and like with Jones would be like giving up family. Not sure why so few have used Trammel in a package deal.
Sounds like you’re a Rays fan
You don’t just get to skip his subpar years, especially when they are the most recent
The rays will absolutely get 1 probably 2 good mlb players. But Snell isn’t bringing in superstar prospects imho
@kwolf68
If the Mariners trade for Snell, they would be on a 3 year clock. They are counting on Kelenic later this upcoming season and Rodriguez in 2022. They can afford to give up Trammell and low A to A+ prospects not named Julio Rodriguez. Trammell is a competitive balance round A pick and Kirby is a first round pick. They’re both in the top 100.
Nick Lodolo is a very good prospect and is Mlb ready. reds are in an open window now. Trading him as a centerpiece is worth the risk for cincy and Snell would replace Bauer.
who’s to say Lodolo is already MLB ready?
He was ready out of Texas Christian. He also has 0 walks in his professional career. And he’s 23.
Him and Barnhart is a good start to a package
So Dealing Dipoto can go to work:
1. Take on KK’s contract from TB to go along with Snell. It’s still going to cost SEA one of their OFers, but you fill it in with any 3 guys named Bertrand (to send Rays fans scurrying to their Prospect Handbook) And really folks, anyone who wouldn’t trade a prospect for a guy like Snell (warts and all) is just silly.
2. Flip KK (obviously with some dollars) to a team that can use him (Giants?) for 3 guys named Hortense (to send Mariner fans scurrying to their Prospect Handbook).
Mariners have a lot of money, and they’re not too far away. Astros are caving, A’s are OK, not great, and Rangers are a train wreck on its way to a dumpster fire. Angels? TBD. The point is, the AL West is certifiably winnable.
What happens when KK is relatively equal to Snell next year? Their stuff is. KK hasn’t proved he can win over a whole season, but has improved both years that he’s been up, Snell has arm injury history and honestly hasn’t performed on an elite level the last two years. Why would I give up one of the best prospects in baseball for a wash?
It amazes me how people like the trash Tim Tebow good honest man Christian follows his faith lives estate someone that you want your daughter to bring home. He’s entitled to a chance more than any drug offender ride offender gets in major-league baseball
no he’s trash, his involvement with the mets organization is embarrassing. dancing monkey. not a real baseball player. give the “chance” to someone else. christianity is boring anyway, it’s not admirable and he doesn’t need to be put on a pedestal
Nats should trade for B. Snell. They could really use another top pitcher. Snell is signed for three more years and he would be a great addition.
There were rumors flying around a few days ago that believe it or not negotiations had started between Tampa and of all teams the Yankees involving Blake Snell. Now I take this all with a grain of salt because we know how Ryan Cashman is about his prospects but the word going around is Tampa with asking for Garcia, Schmidt and Fraser.
If Yankees don’t take that deal it would have to be due to durability concerns. Can’t say I blame em
LOL at the Yankee fans. Any player of good caliber that comes up, the Yank fans automatically think they are first and foremost. The hubris is comical at best and pathetic at worst.
Deion Sanders,only player to play in a WS and a Super Bowl. and the only player to hit a home run and score a TD in the same week.
Send Voit to the Rangers in a deal centered around Lance Lynn. Perhaps expanded to Joey Gallo, to give NY another LH bat. Hell, maybe Texas would even take Sanchez off their hands in an even more expanded deal.
Trade for Lynn
Re-sign LeMahieu for 1B
Sign Gregorius
Sign Avila for LH platoon with Higashioka.
The Yankees don’t have to sign every top dollar free agent this year to improve their team.
C Higashioka (R) / Avila (L)
1B LeMahieu (R)
2B Torres (R)
SS Gregorius (L)
3B Urshela (R)
LF Frazier (R) / Gallo (L)
CF Hicks (L)
RF Judge (R)
DH Stanton (R)
Cole / Lynn / Montgomery / Severino / Garcia
absolutely no to Lynn.. he had his chance here. We already have 6 #4 type starters without Tanaka, Happless and Pax