We Finally Have a Notable Trade

The first notable trade of the 2019 offseason has finally come to fruition. The best friends that are the Rays and Mariners, who have executed eight trades since Jerry DiPoto took over as Seattle’s GM in late 2015, have come to a deal that will send recent Wilson Defensive Player of the Year and catcher Mike Zunino in a package with outfielder Guillermo Heredia and minor league pitcher Michael Plassmeyer to the Rays in exchange for Mallex Smith and minor league outfielder Jake Fraley.

This trade is one that will greatly benefit both sides. Mike Zunino had a down year with the bat this past season, hitting just .201 with 44 RBI’s but he did mash 20 home runs for the Mariners. The Rays desperately need a reliable catcher, and if the former third overall pick in Zunino can put together a stat line that supports his draft slot, it could be a steal for the low payroll, overachieving Rays. It doesn’t hurt that Zunino is a premier defensive catcher, where he had a .998 fielding percentage and threw out 35% of runners stealing in 2018. The no-pressure environment that Kevin Cash and the Rays have created is one that I expect Zunino to thrive in, as it has worked out for players like Matt Duffy, Tommy Pham and the player who is being sent to Seattle in Mallex Smith.

Guillermo Heredia will offer the Rays flexibility in the outfield, although he is a below-average Major League hitter, with a career OPS+ at 83, well below the Major League average threshold of 100. Heredia is a solid defensive outfielder, though, as he is coming off of a year with a 1.000 fielding percentage, and his career mark stands at .995. He is one of the best teammates in baseball too, having been nominated as the Mariners Heart and Hustle award recipient this past season. He will likely be the last outfielder off the bench for the Rays in the 2019 season.

The player that the Mariners are getting in Mallex Smith is a very smart option, as he is coming off a career year where he hit .296 with 40 stolen bases. His .367 on base percentage was nearly 40 points higher than his previous career high, and while it was his first full season in the Major Leagues, his 47 walks were more than double his previous career high. Smith would have likely been the odd-man-out in Tampa, where next years outfield profiles to be Tommy Pham, Kevin Kiermaier and Austin Meadows, who they acquired at last years trade deadline for Chris Archer.

I really like this move for the Mariners, as Zunino has remained fairly stagnant in his progression, never taking the next step in becoming the catcher we thought he would be. It does leave the Mariners with a bit of a hole at the catcher position, though, as Cal Raleigh, their 13th ranked prospect and highest ranked catching prospect, doesn’t expect to be Major League ready until the 2021 season. This could force Seattle to push towards a signing of Yasmani Grandal or Wilson Ramos on the open market. However, the return of Mallex Smith provides the Mariners with someone who fits into the offensive style of the team. He is going to hit for average and steal a lot of bases, which sounds a lot like Dee Gordon and Jean Segura at the top of their lineup. The issue with this lineup, though, is they do not have a primary run producer. With the presumed exit of Nelson Cruz and Mike Zunino, the Mariners are going to heavily rely on Kyle Seager to get back to his career standards, and will need Mitch Haniger to take another leap forward, as he is coming off an all-star season which he slugged 26 home runs and drove in 93 runs.

On the surface, this trade looks beneficial to both sides, but it will be fun to see how it plays out. Will Zunino finally break out into a superstar? Or will he keep hitting around .200 with 20 home runs? And will Mallex Smith put together another standout season similar to 2018? We’ll have to wait and see, but overall it seems to me that right now, the Rays won this trade as Zunino will fill a big hole in the Rays everyday lineup. That being said, each player will play a major role for their new teams in the 2019 season.