How could you have a Winter Meetings without Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto making a trade? And how could that trade not somehow involve (1) weirdness and (2) the Rays?
Here’s the gist:
.@Indians acquire 1B Carlos Santana, 1B/OF Jake Bauers and cash; @Mariners acquire 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion, 2019 competitive balance draft pick, cash; #Rays acquire INF Yandy Diaz, RHP Cole Susler in 3-team trade. pic.twitter.com/U9mSlZdjKC
— MLBRosterMoves (@MLBRosterMoves) December 13, 2018
Complicated trade, obviously. #Mariners saving $9M. #Indians getting Santana for two years, $29M – $4M more than they owed Encarnacion for one. https://t.co/0FtmoCkyaW
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 13, 2018
And reportedly, Encarnacion is eventually going to wind up with the Rays:
The #Indians reacquire slugger Carlos Santana in deal with #Mariners and #Rays. Edwin Encarnacion goes to Seattle but will be flipped to #Rays i. Separate deal, sources confirm. Tampa lands it’s DH.
— Scott Miller (@ScottMillerBbl) December 13, 2018
Basically, this was an extremely complicated way for the Mariners to unload Carlos Santana, who came to them as part of the Jean Segura trade. The Indians net two bats in the process (swapping Encarnacion for Santana, and adding Bauers), and they might not do much else on the offensive side this offseason, despite losing Michael Brantley to free agency.
As for the Rays, they’re making moves to try to compete in 2019. They were sneaky decent last year, despite making absolutely no attempt whatsoever to improve in the offseason, so this time around they might try to actually add a few wins. Good for them.
Bonus fun:
Mallex Smith spent 77 minutes with the Mariners before he was originally traded to the Rays.
Carlos Santana spent 187 Mallexes with the Mariners before he was sent to the Indians.
— Michael Clair (@michaelsclair) December 13, 2018