The Mariners and Diamondbacks have swapped young big leaguers, announcing agreement on a one-for-one deal moving outfielder/DH Kyle Lewis to Arizona. The Mariners bring back catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel in return.
Lewis is the more well-known of the players involved. Seattle’s first-round pick in 2016, he bounced back from an ACL tear in his right knee suffered during his first professional season to climb the minor league ranks. The Mercer University product made it to the big leagues late in the 2019 season, and he looked as if he’d cemented himself as a key piece of the organization the following year.
During the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Lewis appeared in 58 games and tallied 242 plate appearances. He connected on 11 home runs and walked in a fantastic 14% of his trips en route to a .262/.364/.437 line. That offensive production was 27 percentage points above league average, by measure of wRC+, and it earned him the American League Rookie of the Year award.
Few would’ve imagined Lewis would only spend two more years in Seattle coming off that season, but he’s rapidly fallen down the depth chart. That’s less due to performance than an unfortunate series of injuries in his right knee, which has proven consistently problematic. Lewis began the 2021 campaign on the injured list, and an April return proved brief. He went back on the shelf in early June, and the M’s subsequently announced he’d suffered a meniscus tear. He ended up missing the remainder of the season and wasn’t recovered in time for the start of this year.
Lewis opened the 2022 campaign back on the IL. He was reinstated on May 25, nearly a full calendar year since his previous MLB game. After a handful of games, he unfortunately suffered a concussion and spent another two months on the IL. Lewis returned in late July, played in 14 more games, then was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. He spent the rest of the season there but had a solid showing, putting up a .245/.362/.517 line with 12 homers through 42 games there.
There’s obvious risk for the D-Backs in taking on a player who has appeared in just 54 MLB contests over the past two years. He’s never topped 58 big league games in a season and has only 130 career games and 526 plate appearances under his belt. Yet it’s similarly easy to see the appeal for general manager Mike Hazen and his group in rolling the dice on Lewis’ upside. During his lone healthy season, he showed the obvious power and plate discipline that made him such a well-regarded prospect. There’s a fair bit of swing-and-miss in his game, but he has a chance to be a middle-of-the-order caliber bat if healthy.
Lewis spent some time in center field as a minor leaguer and early in his big league career, but he was almost exclusively a designated hitter this past season. He’s capable of factoring into the corner outfield and could perhaps still moonlight up the middle if necessary, but the Diamondbacks aren’t going to rely on him in center field much — if at all. Corbin Carroll, Daulton Varsho, Jake McCarthy and Alek Thomas are all talented defenders, and Carroll and Varsho figure to get a particularly strong amount of playing time up the middle. Hazen has expressed a willingness to deal one of those players if it nets him help elsewhere on the roster, but Arizona’s depth of plus defenders should give them the chance to mostly keep Lewis off his feet as a DH.
Adding some right-handed pop was also a key offseason objective for Arizona, and Lewis could be a long-term righty power bat in the desert. He’s still just 27 years old and has two years and 146 days of major league service time. That qualifies him for early arbitration as a Super Two player, but MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for just a $1.2MM salary. He’s arbitration eligible through 2026, and the early-career injuries have kept Lewis from building the kind of resume that’d be handsomely rewarded through that process thus far.
Lewis’ departure will be jarring for Mariners fans, but it looked increasingly likely Seattle could subtract from the corner outfield after acquiring Teoscar Hernández from the Blue Jays yesterday. As another right-handed hitting right fielder/DH, Hernández made Lewis an arguably superfluous presence on the roster. Julio Rodríguez has cemented himself as the franchise center fielder, and the M’s still have a number of internal options — Jesse Winker, Jarred Kelenic, Taylor Trammell, Sam Haggerty and Dylan Moore — as left field possibilities. The M’s have reportedly floated Winker’s name in trade talks, but they could either look into a left field upgrade or rely on some of their younger options even if they send the former Red elsewhere.
In exchange for Lewis, they bring in a player with a bit more defensive flexibility. Hummel, 28 next month, was first drafted by the Brewers in 2016. Arizona acquired him at the 2021 trade deadline in a deal that sent veteran infielder Eduardo Escobar to Milwaukee. The right-handed hitter was sitting on a .254/.435/.508 line in Triple-A at the time, and the Snakes gave him his first big league chance this year.
Hummel scuffled over his first 66 MLB games, hitting just .176/.274/.307 with three homers in 201 plate appearances. He struck out in a huge 31.8% of his plate appearances during that time, but he walked at a strong 11.4% clip. Hummel also continued to hit well with Arizona’s top minor league affiliate, posting a .310/.423/.527 line in 33 games in Reno. In a bit more than 500 career plate appearances at the Triple-A level, the Oregon native has a .310/.429/.540 line with an incredible 16.7% walk rate.
On the defensive side of the ball, Hummel has split his time between catcher and the corner outfield. He got 14 MLB starts behind the dish and 17 apiece in left field and designated hitter. Prospect evaluators have never considered Hummel a likely everyday catcher, but the M’s don’t need him to be with Cal Raleigh as their franchise backstop. Hummel can factor in as an occasional catcher and corner outfield option off the bench, and he can still be optioned to the minor leagues in each of the next two years. He’s a flexible depth piece who has less than a full year of big league service. He won’t qualify for arbitration until at least after the 2024 season.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the D-Backs and Mariners were swapping Lewis and Hummel.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Weird.
@myaccount2, Sigh …
See how Jerry dumbs it up just as soon as I stop advising him?
Sigh . ..
Definitely odd! I’m not the biggest believer in Lewis’ ability to return to form but it seems like he really settled here. Time to advise him again, Fred!
Finally the Eduardo Escobar trade makes a little more sense
Seattle got a low milage Ford
Arizona got a BMW with a bent frame.
Pretty good, Mort.
The sort of quip a man wishes he had said.
Mort
Nah. Seattle received a saltine cracker and Snakes received a warm Cinnabon muffin that was dropped on the floor but scooped up within the three second rule.
Advantage Snakes. Waiting to hear that Alex Thomas or McCarthy is packing in a deal for a pitcher.
Mort, got any other good ones?
BMW with a bent frame? More like a Mazda with totaled wheel wells.
I’m not sure what you mean. This is all Mariners. They got a switch hitting C/OF for RH DH.
Trading one of the better prospects for a guy who struggling in the majors.
Probably part of another trade to come in the next few days; M’s might trade #2 catcher Torrens with real #2 Tom Murphy returning from 60 day IL and Torrens with no options left. Hummel has options and has ML experience, so he can be sent to AAA as back-up in the event of injuries to Cal Raleigh or Tom Murphy.
As for Kyle Lewis, he can no longer run and several other younger Mariners have potentially better futures (Kelenic, Trammell, Cade Marlowe). .
bro fell off so hard
He honestly wasn’t that good. The only reason he won ROY that year we because it was 2020 and a lot of the young guys didn’t get playing time in the shortened season.
@Rod Becks – to be fair it was a small sample all round but I thought he was above average. Now he looks in Joe Charboneau company which is very sad….
Small sample for sure. He just never passed the eye ball test for me. But I’ve definitely been wrong before.
Actually, he was quite good, but multiple significant injuries to his right knee and then a major concussion took a big toll. It’s a sad story, because he held great promise..
“Quite good” for 58 games. He outperformed his minor league numbers for a shortened season. He had a good month. He had a great first week in July when the season started, solid August and then fell off a cliff in September. He never performed as well in the minors and he hasn’t performed as well since.
Trader Jerry strikes again!
Seems bad for Seattle. Granted Hummel has it well in the minors, but he has been pretty old for those levels.
Seems lopsided for the D-Backs
On paper, I think it leans Arizona, but as an M’s fan, Lewis might be cooked. Knees are shot so he can’t play OF, which means he’s basically Winker defensively but a worse offensive player.
Nah. Lewis is a DH now, and a short-side DH with major health issues doesn’t really do much for anyone. Pretty much a meh for meh trade as far as assets go.
Hard to believe the Mariners couldn’t find anyone to top that offer. Seems like an awfully low sell and a great trade for the snakes.
It’s a low sell because his ceiling is now a bad DH.
On Phoenix sports radio last night they were talking about the trade and although they had never heard of Kyle Lewis, they were excited to get a hitter that recently was a 1st round pick and won AL ROY. Their press release they read said the DBacks plan to play him as part time DH and rotational OF against LH pitching. Then they read his numbers against lefties and weren’t that excited anymore.
Why??
This dude isn’t going to play a mlb game ever again. Nice nice move to unload him.
You wish bro
No
I’m happy we unloaded him but expected a better return.
its no coincidence that today is the day to non-tender players or offer them contracts for 2023. Kyle Lewis is a DH-only type who can’t run. He was quite obviously going to be non-tendered today to make room for protecting another prospect. Kudos to Jerry for getting a player that might be useful to the team.
@bigdaddy
I will buy you a ty France jersey if he really plays zero MLB games. That sounds impossible.
I hope you remember this, Marinarivera, because I think there’s a chance he’s right.
Quit being so sandy. Former ROY he will get healthy and start mashing again
after winning ROY in 2020, would you have thought it was possible Kyle Lewis would only appear in 55 of a possible 324 games in 2021 and 2022 combined?
Don’t the D-Backs have enough outfielders?
Yes but this deal is so good for them. Kyle Lewis was Roy just a few years ago. Very cheap price to pay for that potential
Is it a good deal if Lewis doesn’t play another game in the majors?
No
He’s 27……. And produced in AAA. It’s not like he’s still on the mend
I can assure you he will be nothing like his rookie of the year self. His knees are shot so he’s about as fast as Edgar Martinez these days, can’t play defense, and is inconsistent at the plate, probably because he has issues loading up and exploding through the ball because of his injuries.
He won’t play in the outfield much, if at all. Not unless he gets new knees.
1.. Wishing AZ fans good luck on this. They’ll need it. He can’t stay healthy and he wasn’t that good in the first place.
2. He was Rookie of the Year in a 60-game season. Basically had one good month and then fell off a cliff. If it had been an full season, he’d probably have continued to struggle and might have ended up with an average around .215.
Lewis is not an OF anymore. He’s a DH. Has no more knees.
They have a collection of left-handed outfield bats. Lewis gives them a DH who could presumably play a corner occasionally.
There wasn’t a clear spot for him on Seattle’s roster and he is arbitration-eligible, which would have made him an expensive reserve if they intended or needed to option him.
He’ll get a legitimate shot at regular PAs in Arizona.
Sure, but has anyone mentioned his knees yet?
The appeal on the KLew flyer is that hes a RH bat. AZ is a LH heavy lineup
Dipoto is such a joke, why do people keep hiring him? Zero rings says it all.
Hey, you’re back! I’ve got to ask…what is your deal with the mariners/Jerry dipoto? This is such a minor trade, why do you need to hate on Jerry so much?
Zero rings says it all.
Does Billy beane have one?
Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon were POTUS the year the A’s last won a Ring.
I liked his rebuild work (which is the easiest work to do). The transition to contending hasn’t been pretty. Missed on Toro, Winkler, and Frazier. Castillo extension was nice move though.
His transition to competing has been fine. Luis Castillo; Eugenio Suarez; Chris Flexen; the player development of Julio, Cal, JP, Kirby, Gilbert.
Sure, he missed on Frazier and Winker so far but I don’t think Toro was ever penciled in as an everyday player.
A high upside arm and a in demand closer was a steep price to pay for whatever toro is providing.
Graveman was a pending FA who we had no intention of re-signing after he got the entire pen put on the COVID IL which ended up costing us like 5 games and Montero was terrible here. I’m not even convinced he’ll maintain what he’s done so far and we replaced him nicely anyway. Our bullpen was top 5 without him.
Yet his teammates wanted him. Something isn’t adding up.
More important, his teammates played the best ball they played all year after Jerry traded him. Can’t believe you would criticize this trade knowing what came after it.
Mariners still lost that trade is the point.
I get so annoyed when people complain about a trade like Graveman for Toro. Trading a RP that is a FA in 2 months for a young possible everyday player or utility player with many years of control. Toro was actually even a solid player for the rest of the season when they traded from him. Same with trading Swanson for an everyday middle of lineup hitter.
But it wasn’t just Graveman for Toro. It was Graveman/Montero for Toro/Smith. You can say Montero was terrible for SEA, but obviously Houston knew he had something in that arm and turned him into a dominant arm out of the bullpen, and a key piece for a WS Champion team. Would SEA have turned him into what he was this past year? Doubtful. But if SEA had been able, maybe they don’t have to turn to Robbie Ray out of the bullpen.
So you can get annoyed, but it’s an accurate assessment to say SEA got fleeced on that deal.
Well Smith was terrible for Houston and was very solid for Mariners. Fleeced? How? Montero and Smith were included because they were both DFA’d prior. So Montero wasn’t going to be on Mariners even without that trade. So really it was Toro for Graveman.
You should probably start with why Montero was being DFA’d, when SEA obviously needed more bullpen help than HOU? The Astros turned him into a premier reliever.
Where is Smith now? How much has Toro given Sea?
Graveman helped the Astros get to a WS, and Montero (supposedly a throwaway) was a significant piece for a WS Champion team. Montero could’ve been on this past years team to try and beat HOU, but yet he was on the very team SEA couldn’t beat! Isn’t winning the WS what this is about in the first place?
If you can explain how SEA came close to winning that trade, I’m all ears.
So yes, they got fleeced.
which one is the high-upside arm? You mean Rafael Montero, who had an ERA over 7.00 at the time of the trade (3 months into the ’21 season!)
joe smith and montero were throw-ins in that deal. Montero wasn’t just bad that year in Seattle. His ERA was over 7.00! Don’t criticize a GM ever for trading a guy like that!
But it isn’t with the Astros, which might be telling of the Mariners ability to diagnose talent. Again, tell me how the Astros didn’t win that trade by a wide margin…
Winkler was a hit. Squarez is awesome. The prospect capitol they sent out was miniscule.
Asss fan The joke is on you, a bitter little fan of a sad sack of an Organization. I mean talk about pathetic- an A’s fan trolling Mariners fans in the comments section of an inconsequential minor depth-piece trade?
How sad and angry your life must be…
btw want to about Rings? The Mariners weren’t even a team the last time your sorry Org won a WS. Freaking Nixon and Ford were POTUS the year your festering Org last won a WS!! Your grandpa probably fought in the Vietnam War the last time your sorry lot won one!
I almost feel sorry for your pathetic team who clearly doesn’t give a sewer rats a** about its fanbase. Almost. I really hope the A’s keep festering in that crumbling decrepit pile of piss of a stadium. The doorstep to the cellar of the Al West!
Actually they won world series when Bush was potus.
I stand corrected! Thats right, the “Bay Bridge Series” 33 years ago! No wonder I forgot! That was Daddy GW Bush! Back when needles filled with steroids littered the floors of their crumbling cesspit.
They don’t call him Tradin’ Jerry for nothing.
Lewis was really impressive as a rookie. I’m sure the talent is still there. Maybe he’ll get it together in Arizona. It feels like the Mariners gave him away.
People are ignoring his injury history and the fact that he is a DH-only who can’t hit for power now that he can’t load up and explode through the ball because of his injured knees.
He had 15 HRs in 150 ABs in the minors so I doubt it’s lack of power. I wonder if he got consistent ABs in the majors as to what he’ll do – we’ll find out.
It was in the PCL. He definitely lacks power, strength, and speed now, trust me. I watched it in Seattle, I watched it in Tacoma.
its hard to get consistent at-bats when you can’t stop getting injured!
No one is ignoring a thing, we all understand his injury history. Still doesn’t negate the fact that it’s a horrible move.
Where was Lewis going to play in Seattle? They aren’t going to use a dedicated DH, and he can’t run anymore so he won’t be in the OF much if at all. He had no spot.
That’s false, lots of people that aren’t fans of the Mariners are ignoring it.
He’s a worse defender than Winker now; he wouldn’t have played left or right.
Myaccounts2. We’re not talking about casual fans. We’re talking about people who actually follow the sport in it’s entirety. Second, you clearly haven’t seen Winker play the outfield lately if you think he isn’t replaceable.
He isn’t saying Winker isn’t replaceable. He’s saying Lewis’ days as an OF are over. I kinda agree.
Larry, you aren’t even staying on topic anymore. I *was* talking about casual fans; YOU responded to ME initially, so you aren’t the one directing that topic and you don’t get to. People on this thread who don’t follow the Mariners were absolutely ignoring his injury history and to say otherwise is not true. Secondly, I never said Winker wasn’t replaceable, I said Lewis was a worse defender than Winker at this point because of his knees and lack of speed and that he’s a worse offensive player than Winker. It wasn’t a pro-Winker comment at all. If anything, it was a veiled shot at Winker. Please think critically before responding to me because you’re beyond twisting my words, you’re entirely misquoting me.
Lewis is arbitration-eligible and wasn’t a lock for an active roster spot. You don’t typically see teams keep arb players with the intention of optioning them–especially with defensive limitations.
Hummel is pre-arb, multi-tooled/multi-positional player who put up monster numbers while showing elite plate discipline in the upper-minors.
This was a fair deal. Both teams got lottery tickets, but Hummel’s value to Seattle won’t be his bat alone, whereas Lewis will have to stay healthy and hit for Arizona.
I don’t think he was suggesting Winker should be in the outfield, he was simply trying to stress that Lewis isn’t a realistic option anymore. We already know Winker isn’t going to be a regular in the outfield moving forward–if he even stays.
You have a remarkable ability to say so much, and yet so little at the same time.
“You have a remarkable ability to say so much, and yet so little at the same time.”
I’m sorry I couldn’t help you understand the perspective Seattle likely had that led to this swap.
But keep taking jabs at fans who don’t share your opinions. You’ll do well.
so you would have preferred that he be non-tendered today? Cause that’s what was going to happen. The Mariners are in contending mode. They weren’t wasting a valuable 40-man roster spot on a guy who has proven his days as a healthy, productive player are over.
Sorry, Stevil, you just have not seen Hummel play. He is a terrible catcher, and a marginal outfielder. He literally cost the Dbacks games last year with his terrible defense. That means he has to be a great hitter. Nope.
Do you think the sample size in Arizona says enough about his future? I certainly don’t, and the Mariners likely don’t either.
I’ve read the reports and heard the comments from Seattle’s FO. They know he’s an incomplete project, but the tools are there and his role right now is to serve as a reserve.
He’s certainly not their only OF reserve option, either.
The Dbacks sent Hummel to the Arizona Fall League to give him more reps and more catching experience. So, yes he is a work in progress and there is some upside there.
Terrible trade by Dipoto
Agreed. But, maybe intentionally more of a “goodwill” type move.
Really. How many games was Lewis in last year? His knees are toast…he’ll be lucky to DH.
Watching him play in the OF was painful last year. He couldn’t even jog. And I’m not kidding.
Because people don’t get hurt and recover? You’re glib if you think Lewis is done
I absolutely 100% believe that his days as an outfield are numbered. He has had chronic knee issues since he was a teenager, man. It’s not looking good there. The recovery has not happened.
That said. I watched him tattoo Verlander in person for about 460 earlier this year and he hit dongs at a torrid pace in the minors. Good on ARI to make this move.
You can recover but he keeps getting his knees hurt. He couldnt run last year and was well over 1 recover from his latest surgery which was minor surgery. After being sent down last year, he was strictly a DH in AAA and wasnt able to play everyday.
Sodomojo, make up your mind. Is he done or not?
Pretty clear he is.
Vtadave. You’re right. He’ll probably retire now because you not believe in him.
I don’t know how else to say it:
I believe he is done in the field.
BUT
I believe he can still hit. And that this trade was basically dumping him.
Why are you so hurt by others having this opinion? Nobody is personally insulting Lewis.
Myaccount2 free to have your opinion, not free from potential criticism
I am going with Jerry found a team that Kyle wanted to play for and told them to give him a middling prospect in return. He will be playing in the heat which hopefully will be better for him. I hope he gets the Tino Martinez award multiple times but gets the golden sombrero if we ever play them.
Lewis has spent his entire career battling knee injuries. He is showing no signs of recovering. He’s playing but he cant get to second on a gap shot. He really can’t even jog. I think Arizona is great for these kinds of injuries and may be the best for him. He is damaged goods without hope. He probably asked to be traded to Arizona.
That’s not what I asked. I am seeking to know why you’re so upset about people’s feelings about Lewis? But per usual, you deflected to avoid addressing the subject at hand so you could say something that doesn’t contribute to the conversation.
The dude suggested you’re ‘glib’, which is ironic, given his generic view on a 27-year-old player who has had multiple knee issues and played in just 54 games over the last two seasons.
This trade makes sense for both clubs and it benefits Lewis. Rational fans can understand that.
Good question.
That goes both ways. The difference is that you’re the only one offended.
It’s literally a wash… By regular season, Lewis wouldn’t have a spot. And his knees are trash. Idk much about this Hummel, but he has seemingly handled AAA. And Mariners have some ?? with Catcher health early… Could be a diamond, or a serviceable piece.
Mariners making room on the active roster. Swapping for a depth player with minor league options.
May also flip him in a trade.
As a ballplayer with a German name, Hummel cuts quite a figure. Hope he’s not made of glass. Also his BB cards are very collectible.
*Figure* you would say that 🙂 I see what you did there, lesternightfly. Nice job.
Sheesh. Didn’t think Jerry would sell low on Kyle. Good for him though, he can still hit the ball. ARI fans, don’t worry about him at the plate. He can still hit, and honestly may have untapped offensive ceiling. Just don’t expect him to play in the OF cause his knees are French toast
what did you think the Mariners would be able to get for a guy who’s barely played the last two years
Exactly. Didn’t think we would ever sell him at all, given the low opportunity for return and some obvious ability left at the plate…I thought for sure we would just wait him out and he would either rebound into a part time DH role with us, or fade off into baseball lore forever
Hummel is a fantastic minor leaguer. Lewis seems like a overachiever and now they say he has bad knees. Seattle should know so I like this for them. See if the can out player develop Arizona.
Lewis is an underachiever due to some serious injuries. His ROY was not a fluke. He was a legit first round talent with a high ceiling. The only thing that’s kept him from success has been his physical ailments, which he may have him on the way out of the game. Maybe he can manage to stick around as a righty platoon corner outfielder/DH/1B type. I’m guessing he’ll go the way of Kal Daniels (there’s a throwback!) and show glimpses of what could have been, but ultimately have a hard time staying on a MLB roster…
Kyle Lewis is the Greg Oden and RG3 of MLB, so much talent but the knees are gone with all the talent with it. I wish him well but the stats won’t lie.
Gosh, I know Lewis had an ugly year both performance and injury, but this still seems like an bad trade. Surely they could have gotten a bit more value out of him…
Lewis seems like he would have a guy Seattle could have packaged with another player in a trade for something they need. M’s don’t really need Hummel. He’s a depth piece that will probably get DFA’ed before Opening Day…
They may have just wanted the roster spot and they took what someone offered.
I doubt Jerry would just settle. Plus, there’s bad blood between him and the organization from his last demotion. He was mad and didn’t report to AAA until the last possible minute before a fine would be at play. He’s a worse-hitting Winker at this point anyway.
This is one of those trades where if a team wants to trade a guy this close to his rookie of the year season they must know something bad.
His knees are shot which has impacted his whole game. His speed is gone (he looks physically pained by running) so he’s a major negative defensively. He has trouble loading and using his legs to drive the ball, which has killed his offense. There was also bad blood toward the end of the season when he was last demoted. He disagreed and didn’t report to Tacoma until the last possible minute.
Lots of things contributed to this trade. It’s not shocking to most Mariners fans.
Should’ve tried to get a little more for kyle
Why would the Dbacks want Lewis? They already have a logjam of outfield talent
All of those outfielders hit left handed. It makes some sense to get a right handed bat in the mix.
They still have tons of LH outfield depth they can trade from. Maybe they ship out Alek Thomas now for pitching help?
Was hoping the White Sox could pick him up from M’s. Think he will have a nice bounce back season here in AZ.
Wouldn’t team doctors check what’s under the hood before trading for Lewis?
He can’t run, bad knee. But he CAN hit. DH.
Makes me of another outfielder we got from Arizona a few years ago. Maybe clearing a 40 man for another addition?
“In agreement “
There is usually a pending physical involved , right?
Mariners sold low on Lewis.
He can’t play defense. He can’t even run to first base. When he cane back last season, I can’t believe what I saw. It’s not like he was a burner when he was with Seattle, but the dude could really get after it. He could fly on the bases too. He hit a weak grounder to short, I thought he might have a chance to beat it out or at least make it close, dude couldn’t get down the line to save his life. So sad. I’m a huge Kyle Lewis fan. I hope he comes back with a vengeance, but I’m not holding my breath.
100% echo this. It was shocking to watch him visibly STRUGGLING to JOG a ball down. This poor kid was climbing the wall like spider man 27 months ago.
Was he struggling, or dogging it because he was trying to get traded?
Lewis was VERY disgruntled when he came back and was sent down to AAA this year. The way Lewis was complaining I knew he was out the door this offseason. I just figured Seattle would get something but Hummel?! This move was like DFAing him.
Well Major league pitching was figuring him out at the end of his ROY season. If it was a full season he would’ve never won it. Look at the last month of that year. Injuries have stumped him from playing and when he did he wasn’t really any good. With other outfielders on the 40 Lewis just didn’t make a whole lot of sense. They got someone that has a huge track record in the upper minors that can catch. Might mean Torrens lost his place on the 40. He’ll get traded or released when other deals show up.
107 wRC+ in 2021 before he got hurt so lets not get carried away with the “wasn’t really any good”.
And he was on track that season to K around 200 times.
Boom or bust health bet for the snakes. Zero upside for the M’s on Hummel. Probably a nothingburger for both sides.
Zero upside? Hummel MASHED in AAA. Surely you aren’t judging him on a handful of games?
Of course he is, but I don’t think his name is Surely
Trade between d-backs and jays coming up.
Will include Varsho and Moreno.
Love this move for the DBacks. I think Lewis has a ton of potential if he can stay healthy. Seattle had a logjam in the OF so it makes sense for them a bit too. This AZ team is going to be very good in a couple years.
His knee is very bad, so he will never be 100% healthy, but he CAN hit. DH material only except in an emergency.
Before he stays healthy, he needs to get healthy, which he might never be.
Love Kyle Lewis and wish him nothing but success.
Nice, I’m glad to see lewis getting another shot in the desert. Hopefully there remains some past potential
It’s a shame as Lewis had a lot of potential; in fact, I was hoping the Mariners would draft him in the first round that year and they did. But he’s never fully recovered from that initial knee injury, and you really have no idea what you’re going to get out of him. My guess is the return (Hummel) wasn’t as strong as many people would like speaks to 1) the risk that Arizona is taking, given that Lewis is essentially a DH for now and they still don’t know how much playing time he can handle and 2) the real possibility that Lewis was a non-tender candidate tomorrow and Jerry got what he could for him. Lewis is a good kid and I really hope that he can recover and have a great career going forward, but the M’s had to cut bait on him.
As a corollary, the acquisition of Hummel makes it more likely that the M’s will trade or non-tender one of Luis Torrens and Tom Murphy tomorrow (probably Torrens.)
If it wasn’t for Dipoto, this off season would be boring.
Wish Lewis well!
Was hoping for Carroll
Very sad to see Lewis’s decline. Seems to be a great kid and very talented. Loved watching him play. But after seeing him run the bases last year I’m surprised they got anything in return for him. He reminding me of Jake from “Major League”.
Bellinger getting resigned tomorrow!!!!!
@hoof….
Too bad , Los Angeles was offering Trout.
I like it. Arizona needs RH bats and have DH AB’s to give. With the way things are shaping in Seattle Lewis wasn’t in line for playing time in the big leagues anyway
The only thing jarring for Mariners fans about Kyle Lewis’s departure is the sound of bone on bone from his knees as he walks away from the Emerald City.
We love KLew but when you have Julio, Teo and Kelenic with Trammell and Cade Marlowe fighting for the 4th OF spot. Sam Haggerty and Dylan Moore sharing the Utility OF/INF roles and DH Jesse Winker who can also be an emergency LF- sadly the writing was on the wall.
Frankly I’m amazed they were able to get anything other than cash considerations in return. When we saw Lewis in early 2022 he looked like a shell of his 2020 self
Please don’t mention Kelenic or Trammell like they are anything good. If either of them are on the major league roster to start the season then it’s going to be tough to do anything better than the wildcard again.
Well both are higher on the depth chart than Kyle Lewis was the point. Marlowe past Lewis for playoff roster without ever playing in AAA means he was below him too. So whatever you think of Kelenic and Trammell, M’s think they are more likley to contribute than Lewis.
I hope Kyle Lewis follows in the footsteps of Ketel Marte in the desert.
Being a D back fan you have to realize that the DH position was a big nothing for the Dbacks last season. Not looking for a outfielder. Hummel was probably not going to make the ML roster this season.
Luis Torrens is out of options and I believe Murphy is in his last controlled year. This is a move that is depth cause I don’t think Torrens holds his 40 spot on the roster. Giving them depth that HOPEFULLY keeps them from trading for a backup catcher like last year. Murphy is a good catcher IF healthy. This trade make plenty of sense as depth. Lewis really had no place on this team will miss the potential but that potential was running out of chances and this team needs depth that came with option years in a position that they lacked last year and showed down the stretch when Cal couldn’t get a day off.
My bet is that Jerry Dipoto flips Hummel to Milwaukee as part of a trade with the Brewers for Kolten Wong. Probably Hummel and a relief pitcher would be my guess.
I hate to see him go, but KyLew is damaged goods.
Better damaged ‘goods” than undamaged “bads”.
I watched Lewis several times in Tacoma last year, and some of y’all are waaaaay exaggerating how he was running..He definitely wasn’t as fast as he used to be, but “could barely even jog?” Come on..saw him sprinting multiple times, and he looked good..Pretty sure he was just doggin it to get moved..
not a big fan of the return, but this is a trade to free u;p a spot on the 40 man, guaranteed
This trade doesn’t free up a spot. 40 man is still at 40
I think there are three main things that should be gleaned from this transaction.
The first is in regards to Kyle Lewis, he may have issues running, but part of that is probably him trying to rush back to prove people wrong and in my experience those people who don’t let their body heal will continue to exhibit injuries. The Mariners have a track record with those types (France, Haniger, Lewis, White, and Winker) and I think they are recognizing that they are not typically worth the effort to try and keep on the team and are looking to clear roster space. Keeping those five on the roster is like running a 35-man roster due to having to keep their replacement available. Lewis does offer some hitting upside and could potentially be taught to play 1B where his 6’4″ to 6’5″ height could be beneficial. Even as a DH he has the power to be a solid middle-of-the-order producer.
The second is about Cooper Hummel, who drew the same response I’ve seen on here and rather than pan the trade and blindly anoint the Diamondbacks the winner of the trade, I decided to try and discover why the Mariners would target this guy. Turns out that Hummel has dominated the minors much like Cal Raleigh, someone else who struggled his first time in the minors, but who eventually started showing the same OBP and power skills he displayed in the minors. What makes Hummel special is his speed is 28.8 ft/sec. which is in the 88th percentile and faster than Teoscar Hernandez (28.6 ft/sec.) and just slower than Julio (29.8 ft/sec.). His arm strength is 93rd percentile, maxing at 94.8 mph and averaging 92.3 mph, which rates him well above-average at all positions. Add in his switch-hitting (much better as a LH bat than as a RH bat), his versatility, his local roots, the fact that he’s entering his prime, his ability to be optioned for two more seasons and that at best he’ll have to play three more years before being arbitration optional, ohhh and his max exit velo is in the 71st percentile, which rates as above average as well. He’s a toolsy catcher than can move around the diamond, which makes him a great 3rd catcher or a AAA guy they can call-up when an injury happens.
Third, currently the Mariners don’t have a solid backup catcher option. They could go with Murphy, but who knows how well his shoulder is holding up and he might not be such a dynamic thrower at 31-32 years old and coming off shoulder surgery, which might compound issues with it about to become a track meet in the bases with the new rule changes. As for Torrens, he’s never been a great catcher, but I think that he’s been mislabeled as a bad or below average catcher. I have watched the Mariners long enough to know what bad catchers look like (Rob Johnson, Kenji Johjima, Jeff Clement, etc.), but Torrens found something offensively in the second half of 2021 and lost it in 2022 just as quickly. With Torrens bat having question marks, Murphy potentially having residual discomfort and a need to spend more time recovering, the Mariners might do well to trade one of their arb. eligible catchers to save some money and Hummel gives them a nice 3rd catcher who can compete for the backup position in Spring Training.
My takeaway is that people were too quick to dismiss this trade as being one-sided and I trust the evaluations of the Mariners, but most of all I think that there are so many quick twitch skills leaping off the page with Cooper that he could really benefit from our better coaching staff and could be in a better position to reach his potential. I’ll take his extra 2 years of control, his health and upside, along with his versatility and $500K payroll savings next year, over Lewis and his bag of question marks he needs to answer!
I actually really like Hummel for all the reasons you listed, plus he’s a really high energy guy. His swing is more suited for extra base hits in gaps, but he can really run when he gets going. He’s not an OF, though, and his accuracy on throws is lacking at times regardless of position. I’d still be more than happy with him getting games behind the dish as an offensive/speed minded backup, but he’s not a full time catcher.
I’m curious to what extent Lewis is hampered long-term, but I’ll hold out hope that working under a new training regime can help keep him on the field. He definitely crosses all of the boxes thr DBacks were looking for.
This trade is beyond idiotic. Why give up on him for a 28yr old backup who probably will not contribute. Would’ve been better to just hang on to Lewis
You’re not paying attention… his knee is mincemeat. He’ll be lucky to stay in the bigs 2 more seasons. Arizona isn’t competing so he’s a stop gap with MAYBE some life left in the tank.
Lewis burned some bridges with the Mariners by not showing up in Tacoma for a good while after his demotion. He apparently didn’t like the way the org was handling his rehab, and took it hard, being sent down, so I think this trade involves getting rid of a problem, from the M’s point of view. And KLew is no longer an OF option, and hasn’t hit well enough since his last injury to pencil him in as the M’s DH: they have Winker for that right now, because no one wants to see him out in LF again…
Literally makes no sense.. they couldn’t get a better player for Lewis? What a weird trade
Not with his value, which was almost none. His knee was so bad, and with no more options, I’m surprised Seattle got anything for him.
I like the deal for the mariners. Sure lewis had great promise and Hummel is quite generic but he has had good plate discipline in the minors (average strikeout rate, well above average walks). He just hits too many grounders, if he can elevate that a little he could be a second division regular or first division platoon option ala dan vogelbach.
That’s not exiting considering lewis talent level that he had but with his knee he really in only a more injury prone version of Hummel and not really an outfielder anymore.
So cutting ties here and bringing in hummel who as a switch hitter can be mixed and matches quite well isn’t a bad idea.
Kinda sucks but Lewis just isn’t happening anymore and at some point you have to accept that high draft pick as a sunk cost.
The only Mariners fans who are jarred by the trade of Kyle Lewisnare the fans who don’t pay attention. Lewis was destined for stardom, but the injury to his knee was horrible. Life sometimes just isn’t fair. I hope he can find something in Arizona. He’s a full time DH who has a chance for hitting for power and that’s it. Know what you can do Kyle, and master that. Don’t do more than what you can. Good luck.
Snakes get a DH to compete with Beer and the Ms clear the outfield/dh logjam a bit. Hummel can get at bats easier in their lineup.
Dude was the worst ROY in the past 18 years.