Mariners acquire Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez from the Reds

4:18 pm: Trade difference announced.

4:01 pm: Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (on Twitter) that the deal also contains a player who will be named later. He adds that Cincinnati believes the unidentified player is “boosting” the quality of his comeback.

3:53 pm: In turn, Cincinnati is gaining a defensive player Jake Fraleyset up probability Brandon Williamson And the right hand Justin DunnVinsand Add. Joel Sherman reports from the New York Post (on Twitter) that Seattle assumes the remaining three years and $35 million on Suarez’s contract.

3:48 pm: The sailors are finalizing an agreement on a deal that will bring in a star defensive player Jesse Winker From the Reds, according to ESPN’s Jeff Bassan (Twitter link). Seattle is also getting a third man base Eugenio SuarezMLB.com’s Mark Finsand reports (on Twitter).

The Mariners’ chief of baseball operations, Jerry DePoto, has been open about his pursuit of offensive help throughout the winter. Seattle has already signed AL Cy Young Award winner Ruby Ray With a five-year contract, they’ve done little before to address their wrongdoing. . Winker is now that big-ticket, referee-controlled offensive pick-up for the next two seasons.

Winker earned his due as the number one hitter last season, but he was quietly an excellent hitter for some time. He has earned 127 points or better in the WRC (out at least 27 percentage points above the league average) in four of his five career seasons. The former supplemental head coach has been particularly impressive in the past two years. Going back to the start of the 2020 campaign, a .292/.392/.552 streak with 36 home games has over 668 board appearances.

Last year, he logged 485 trips to the plate and set a personal best of .305/.394/.556 with a solid walk rate of 10.9% and strike rate of 15.5%, which is more than seven points below the league average. He rarely swings, denies and misses or chases pitches outside his strike zone, and is capable of doing a lot of damage when he makes contact. It posted scores well above average in terms of barrel rate, hard contact ratio, and average exit velocity.

It’s easy to see Seattle’s allure in adding this kind of offensive firepower to their lineup. Despite winning 90 games, the Mariners didn’t have a particularly productive offensive last year. Seattle Hitters Rank Only 21st wRC+ team (excluding bowlers) last season. They finished 22 in total. Winker should be a huge boon to the unit that will need improvement if it is to face a 20-year drought.

However, Winker is not entirely without flaws. It’s limited to a defensive angle, and has never been rated favorably in the eyes of general metrics. He’s linked defensively with 20 below-average runs in 2,335 2/3 career innings into the corners (plus three below-average runs in 138 runs as a central player). Statcast’s Outs Above Average at -21 made him play the big league, including the -7 mark last season.

Left hitter Winker has some of the most prominent platoon divisions in the league. He’s been downright elite in his run against right-handed shooters (.313/.405/.556), but his numbers without a platoon advantage (.188/.305/.295) were mediocre. It’s possible that Winker isn’t a strict platoon player – he’s at least drawing a boatload of walks against the Southpaws – but his influence is centered on feasting on the right.

Perhaps the most worrying aspect of any aspect of his talent was his lack of size. Winker has gone on to the injured list in every entire season of his MLB career. Heading into last season, the 28-year-old didn’t even count 400 major league games. He had a personal high 485 last year, but finished the season on the injured list after experiencing intercostal fatigue in mid-August (from which he tried unsuccessfully in September).

It is a continuation of the payroll cut efforts for the Reds, who have indicated their desire to cut payroll for months. Cincinnati traded away Tucker Barnhart What a pity Valley Miley On concessions for a little return, in November. Hear performances on top shooters, and go Sony Gray To the twins to promote chances of success Chase Petty during the Weekend. The afternoon swap is the most notable of all, with the Reds slashing Suarez’s back-to-back salaries of $11.285 million 2022-24 and Winker’s expected arbitration price of $6.8 million off the books.

More is coming.

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