Amongst gamers who weren’t traded this offseason, few discovered themselves in additional rumors than Ketel Marte. Arizona common supervisor Mike Hazen maintained all through the winter {that a} commerce was unlikely and mentioned final month that talks by no means bought near a deal. However, the D-Backs took calls from varied groups who had curiosity of their star second baseman.
The Mariners have been among the many golf equipment that checked in as they pursued a high-impact infielder. Seattle absolutely had some curiosity in Marte, who started his profession within the group earlier than being traded to Arizona over the 2016-17 offseason. Adam Jude of The Seattle Occasions stories that conversations about bringing Marte again to the Pacific Northwest didn’t progress far. In keeping with Jude, that’s no less than partly as a result of the M’s balked at together with second-year infielder Cole Younger in a deal.
That aligns with a December report from Jude’s Seattle Occasions colleague, Ryan Divish, that the Mariners have been reluctant to commerce off their main league roster. The M’s wound up touchdown their most well-liked goal, Brendan Donovan, in a three-team commerce with the Cardinals and Rays. It required them to half with one massive leaguer, third baseman Ben Williamson. Williamson was a secondary piece in that deal, which was headlined by Double-A pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje. A deal constructed round Younger would have subtracted a higher-upside participant than Williamson from the MLB workforce.
Donovan is a extra versatile defensive participant than Marte. He’s anticipated to kick over to 3rd base to start the season. That’ll open the trail for Younger to win the second base job. The 22-year-old struggled as a rookie, batting .211/.302/.305 with 4 residence runs throughout 257 plate appearances. He confirmed a complicated plate method however didn’t hit the ball laborious sufficient constantly to do injury.
Younger misplaced enjoying time down the stretch and was left off the playoff rosters. Jorge Polanco was the beginning second baseman in October, whereas the M’s felt Leo Rivas supplied a greater contact-oriented infielder off the bench.
Jude’s reporting suggests the Mariners haven’t misplaced any religion in Younger’s upside. The previous first-round decide was a wonderful hitter at each minor league cease. He’d posted a .277/.392/.461 line with extra walks than strikeouts over 54 Triple-A video games. Younger nonetheless didn’t put up enormous residence run tallies, however he hit the ball tougher with extra constant hole energy towards minor league pitching. Though he has exhausted his prospect eligibility, he stays one of many group’s most promising younger gamers. He’s underneath membership management for six full seasons and could be a borderline candidate for Tremendous Two eligibility over the 2027-28 offseason if he sticks on the MLB roster.
