Report: Rival execs expect Mariners to trade Trumbo
Jerry Dipoto, who took over as general manager of the Seattle Mariners back in September, brokered four trades, re-signed an outfielder, and added a veteran catcher to his 25-man roster in the last three weeks. Still, the 47-year-old doesn't look like he's about to slow down.
Several rival executives recently told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick they expect Dipoto to trade Mark Trumbo, a former All-Star, this offseason. Acquired in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks in June, Trumbo is set to earn roughly $9 million through arbitration in 2016 and is eligible for free agency next winter.
Though Trumbo rebounded a bit this season after stumbling at the plate in 2014, he still compiled just 1.1 WAR in 142 games, doing little else besides hitting for power. The 29-year-old finished third on the Mariners with 22 homers, but his 105 wRC+ was tied for sixth among the 11 players to receive at least 200 plate appearances with Seattle in 2015.
| Season | OBP | HR | K% | wRC+ | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | .291 | 29 | 20.9% | 109 | 1.8 |
| 2012 | .317 | 32 | 26.1% | 124 | 2.4 |
| 2013 | .294 | 34 | 27.1% | 107 | 2.3 |
| 2014 | .293 | 14 | 24.6% | 91 | -1.2 |
| 2015 | .310 | 22 | 24.2% | 108 | 1.1 |
Despite smacking more homers than all but 27 hitters since 2012, Trumbo owns a .299 on-base percentage with a 25.6 percent strikeout rate over that span.
He has also been a liability in the outfield in recent seasons and may not fit with Dipoto's vision for the club moving forward. Over the last few weeks, Dipoto made several moves to improve his club's outfield defense, namely re-signing Franklin Gutierrez and trading for Leonys Martin.