In the Jerry Dipoto-Matt Silverman era of the Mariners and Rays, you do not need a calendar as the holidays approach. That’s because you’ll always knows it’s roughly early to mid-November when those two teams get together on some kind of trade. And then they’ll do so again a few times before Spring Training, so you’ll know roughly when March arrives.
This year’s installment sees a fine catcher headed off to Tampa Bay, and an outfielder headed back to Seattle (where he literally spent 77 minutes as a member during a previous flurry of trades between these teams back in January):
Source confirms #Rays are in agreement with #Mariners on Zunino trade, pending a medical review. Per @RyanDivish, deal is Zunino and Guillermo Heredia to Rays for Mallex Smith. TB had acquired Smith from SEA as part of Drew Smyly trade in Jan. 2017.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 8, 2018
Mike Zunino has turned into a superb defensive catcher, something the Rays value dearly, and he's good for 20 HR a year. Smith is very interesting — a speed-first guy who can play all three outfield positions, including center, if Dee Gordon were to return to second base.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 8, 2018
Useful, interesting players in this one. Nothing that’ll knock your socks off, but hey, it’s the offseason! Trades are here!