NEWSLETTER
TRADE SEASON IS HERE!!! I mean, kinda. It’s a legit trade anyway, even if not an enormously impactful one.
The Seattle Mariners have snagged first baseman Carlos Santana from the Kansas City Royals in a pretty traditional buyer-seller trade:
The Mariners are six games under .500 (and 12.0 games out in the West), but remain vaguely in the Wild Card race (7.0 games back). With Ty France hitting the IL, they moved quickly to bolster first base and the lineup.
Santana, 36, is in the final year of his recent deal with the Royals, and is making $10.5 million this year. Although he’s hitting just .216/.349/.341/104 wRC+ on the season, he’s actually been much better since May 1.
Although the Mariners didn’t give up much in the deal, Mills is a potentially useful bullpen piece under team control, and Fleming is a starting pitching prospect at Low-A who recently ranked in the top 30ish in the Mariners’ system. It’s not a nothing return, and a pretty interesting deal for June. Will it open up any other moves around the league? I tend to doubt it. I don’t see any obvious or immediate trickling from this, given that the Mariners had a specific injury to replace and the Royals wanted to open up a spot for top prospect Vinnie Pasquantino.
