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| Mark Trumbo, playing where he should photo taken by Keith Allison, uploaded to Flickr |
My hot takes on each player involved:
Mark Trumbo - Trumbo fits the Jack Zduriencik mold - light-tower power without much else. Trumbo has limited contact ability and patience, and is also a rather limited defender. He isn't all that different than Nelson Cruz, for better and for worse. The Nelson Cruz we've seen in Seattle so far isn't really Nelson Cruz, by the way. The real Nelson Cruz doesn't bat well over .300, at least for a whole season. Trumbo certainly improves the M's offense, but the real question is if his power outweighs all of his other limitations.
Vidal Nuno - Nuno will join the Mariners bullpen. He has been quite effective in a few innings for Arizona so far this season, and small sample size cautions should be in full effect. For instance, Nuno currently sports a K/9 over 11 in the majors, but never struck out over a batter an inning in the minors. His average fastball velocity is around 88mph too, which usually doesn't suggest high strikeout potential. However, Nuno doesn't rely on his fastball much, given that he has thrown more sliders than heaters in the majors this year. Long story short, Nuno is a more advanced version of Tyler Olson.
Wellington Castillo - We hardly knew you, Wellington! The recent acquisition from Chicago is now bound for the desert. Castillo wasn't going to get too much playing time behind Mike Zunino, and his questionable defensive abilities wiped whatever value his bat might have brought in a reserve role. The Mariners could still use a legitimate backup that could push Zunino to hit a bit more, but Castillo never struck me as a great fit on the roster.
Dominic Leone - It will be interesting to see how Leono fares in Arizona. He is worse than his remarkably good 2014 suggested, but also better than his 2015 struggles so far. At the end of the day Leone is a bullpen arm worth having around on a roster, but replaceable, especially when you play in spacious Safeco Field. The Mariners probably got Leone's best season out of him though, despite how young he is.
Jack Reinheimer - Reinheimer projects as organizational depth in the middle infield, with the "upside" to be a utility player. He simply does not hit enough to make it in the majors, though reports on his defense are pretty good. Reinheimer's chances of breaking through in Seattle were especially slim, given the presence of guys like Brad Miller, Chris Taylor, and Ketel Marte.
Gabby Guerrero - Guerrero is the only player with the potential to make this deal feel bad for the Mariners. He is struggling in AA, but at least is only 21 years old. He has some time to figure things out. Guerrero is overly aggressive, just like his famed uncle Vladimir Guerrero, but not even other family members are Vlad the Impaler. Gabby, like other mere mortals, will have to develop a little plate discipline and some awareness of holes in his swing to make the majors - much less make an impact.
The best player involved in this trade is Mark Trumbo, without a doubt. The next best could very well be Vidal Nuno, though an argument could be made for Leone I suppose. So, this trade certainly is not bad for the Mariners.
However, it is not a good deal, either. The main issue are the roles the newly acquired talents find themselves in. Mark Trumbo's offensive value is likely to get eliminated by his suspect outfield defense. He projects to play right field mostly. This will hurt a pitching staff already wounded and shaky.
At least Trumbo pushes Nelson Cruz to more full-time DH duties probably. I shudder at the thought of Cruz and Trumbo in the same outfield, especially Safeco's outfield with its spacious gaps. That's a recipe for disaster, and I hope Lloyd McClendon realizes that.
The Mariners already had power. What they lack most are on-base skills and outfield defense. Trumbo adds to the M's strength, and also exacerbates their weaknesses. I suppose that makes him True to the Blue.