Minnesota Twins 2018-2019 Offseason Trade Partner Profile: Seattle Mariners

The Minnesota Twins 2018-2019 offseason is here. Here we explore who could be their trade partners as they look to return to the playoffs.

The Minnesota Twins need to make some moves with the offseason now upon us. Free agents will attract a lot of the attention over the next several weeks as there are several big name free agents potentially looking for a new team and new big and shiny deal.

The Twins should very much be able to be in the conversation with many free agent names, but what will be just as if not more important for the Twins is the trade market. The Twins front office has pointed to the Twins minor league assets as a strength to help them acquire some additions to their roster. We will attempt to work through each team in baseball and find some trades that work for both sides.

We have already explored possibilities with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, PIttsburgh Pirates, and the San Diego Padres. Next up is the Seattle Mariners

Mariners 2018

The Mariners have to feel like they were “this close” to giving themselves a chance to make a run through the playoffs. They finished 77-85 but were much more in the hunt for most of the season even after only getting 80 games from second baseman Robinson Cano.

With Cano out, the Mariners received good performances from the speedy middle infield duo of Dee Gordon and Jean Segura. Gordon slashed .268/.288/.349 and stole 30 bases. Segura hit .304/.341/.415 and stole 20 bases of his own. Ryon Healy also surprisingly added 24 home runs for the Mariners and of course they had now Twin Nelson Cruz add his 37 home runs.

James Paxton gave the Mariners 160.1 innings and a 3.76 ERA with an 11.7 K/9. Edwin Diaz also continued his rise to elite closer as he compiled a 1.96 ERA over 73.1 innings and recorded 57 saves. The Mariners have now turned around and traded both Paxton and Diaz as they remake their roster for 2019.

Possible Trade Interest

Mariners may want: Two things seem pretty clear about the Mariners this offseason. They are rebuilding and want to save as much money as possible. So any deal that brings in young controllable talent or saves the team money seems to be welcomed.

Twins may want: The last thing on the Twins wish list this winter seems to be pitching. And there are a couple names remaining on the Mariners roster that could work in a trade scenario.

 Trade Proposals

Trade Proposal #1: LHP Wade LeBlanc for RHP Aaron Slegers and RHP John Curtiss

At age 33, left-hander Wade LeBlanc had a very solid season in 2018. He tossed 162.0 innings and held a 3.72 ERA in 27 starts. LeBlanc is not the front line starter fans are hoping for but he is a lefty and could potentially come at a fairly cheap price. His one year of control that remains as he enters his final year of arbitration will certainly add into the reduced price to acquire the lefty.

As the Mariners rebuild Slegers and Curtiss both represent pitchers who have been stuck in somewhat AAAA limbo. Both seem to have traits that could make them MLB pitchers but need to be given a true chance to sink or swim. Something that should be possible during the Mariners rebuild.

Trade Proposal #2: RHP Anthony Swarzak for OF Jacob Pearson

Anthony Swarzak is in the final year of a deal that will pay him $8 million. If the Mariners would like to further cut some payroll the Twins need to continue to add some back end of the bullpen help. With so many relievers left on the market, the Mariners do not have a whole lot of leverage in a trade scenario involving only Swarzak, but a deal for a pitcher similar to the ones to the LeBlanc deal would make sense.

The Mariners could also like one of the Twins outfielders such as Pearson who is No. 25 prospect according to MLB.com. A second unranked prospect may be needed to make this deal work.