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Shortly after signing free agent Nelson Cruz to be their new designated hitter, the Seattle Mariners have made their next substantial move this offseason by acquiring starting pitcher J.A. Happ from the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Michael Saunders.
On the surface, the move makes a lot more sense for Toronto. Before moving Happ, the Blue Jays had six starters who were expected to compete for rotation spots in 2015. Dumping the 32-year-old southpaw and his $6.7 million option the club exercised earlier in the year will save them money by picking up Saunders in his first year of arbitration eligibility.
It also gives them a body to play left field after GM Alex Anthopoulos ruled the team out of the Melky Cabrera sweepstakes. Lastly, though more of the off-field marketing than technical variety, the trade brings another Canadian back into the Blue Jays’ lineup after they recently parted ways with 3B Brett Lawrie.
So while all things are more easily justified from Toronto’s perspective, what does this move signal for the Mariners?
It could be Happ is now the guy to replace free agent Chris Young in the 2015 rotation. Or, he could simply provide some competition for youngsters Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, Roenis Elias and Erasmo Ramirez in Spring Training. Which of those three pitchers will open the season with Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma in the rotation remains to be seen. Either way, it could be five guys fighting for three spots.
The best way to simplify the matter would be to trade one of them away. The Mariners have been linked heavily to Matt Kemp trade talks in recent weeks. The Los Angeles Dodgers are adamant about receiving either Walker or Paxton in exchange for the All-Star outfielder. My guess is the addition of Happ will loosen the stronghold M’s management has on Walker and Paxton. Justin Upton is another name to consider in trade negotiations.
Cruz is a right-handed bat the club badly needed to sign. It’s questionable if he will be the world-beater in 2015 for Seattle that he was for the Baltimore Orioles in 2014. That much said, GM Jack Zduriencik is probably still looking to get better at the plate. The Mariners ranked second in team ERA amongst all of MLB in 2014, but placed only 18th in runs scored.
Don’t be surprised if this move cues the next big one in a series of offseason moves for Seattle. Striking a deal that will bring another potential 30 home run bat to SoDo is an option worth exploring.
Jordan Wevers is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanWevers, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
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