The Seattle Mariners were inches short of their first-ever World Series appearance, but they fell short in Game Seven of the ALCS. Now, in this offseason, they need to go and get another superstar hitter.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer believes that the Mariners should be lucky this offseason and are the top trade candidate for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger, Ketel Marte.
“Though he's a three-time All-Star and back-to-back Silver Slugger winner, it came out this summer that Marte had rankled his teammates with his approach to taking days off. He also just plain represents a sell-high candidate, as he's 32 years old and is about to gain 10-and-5 rights next April…The ideal trade for the D-backs is one that would bring back established or MLB-ready talent for a rotation that badly needs help, plus a right-handed bat who could play one of the corner infield spots…Prediction: Traded to Mariners,” Rymer wrote.
This past season, Marte slashed.283/.376/.517/.893 with 28 doubles, 28 home runs, and 72 RBI in 126 games. Pairing him with Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, and Randy Arozarena would give Seattle one of the best offenses in the American League.
This is also a good pairing of teams for trade. The DBacks need pitching, which Seattle has plenty of, and the Mariners need more hitting, which Arizona is willing to give up.
Plus, this would be a homecoming for Marte. The Mariners signed Marte as an international free agent in 2010, and he played for them for two years before he was traded to Arizona.
Now, the Mariners have a chance to correct their mistake in trading him, and get him back in their lineup. Then, finally, they could make the World Series.
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