ESPN’s Jayson Stark: Trading for a big-money slugger would be major risk for Mariners
Jun 14, 2016, 1:04 PM | Updated: 1:11 pm
General manager Jerry Dipoto has implemented new processes in the Mariners' minor-league system. (AP)
(AP)
The Mariners are on pace to win 87 games but entered Tuesday 4 1/2 games behind a Rangers squad that is among the most talented and deep teams in baseball. And while the trade deadline is still almost seven weeks away, it’s never too early to talk about how general manager Jerry Dipoto could bolster Seattle for a playoff push.
Three things: Mariners have work to do to catch up with Texas
Baseball analyst Jim Bowden mentioned Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and former NL MVP Ryan Braun of the Brewers as potential fits for the Mariners in a column posted on ESPN Tuesday. Braun is in the first season of a five-year, $105 million contract; Gonzalez is signed through 2017, with a $20 million salary coming next season.
ESPN MLB insider Jayson Stark has also mentioned that a slugging corner outfielder could benefit the Mariners lineup. But Stark told “Brock and Salk” Tuesday he isn’t convinced that it’s in Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto’s best interest to make a move like that.
“The problem with those guys is there’s so many years and so many dollars attached,” Stark said. “And I think Jerry, at this point, is more about flexibility than he is about that kind of move. You have to worry about age and regression and wasted money. I’d be surprised about that one.”
Brock Huard noted that many fans view the Mariners in a go-for-it mode since much of their core – Felix Hernandez, Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano – is at or past their prime. Huard believes the Rangers are currently a better and deeper team than the M’s, and the question Dipoto needs to ask is whether Braun or Gonzalez could put them over the top, even if it means parting with pitcher James Paxton and two or three top prospects.
“I agree that there is a sense of urgency, but at what cost?” Stark responded. “How many older players do you want on your roster and do you want to commit to? And how much money do you want to commit to them? Do you want to go for it at the expense of what that means down the road? Is it OK to say, we’re going for it this year but we’re really going to pay for that in the next two or three years?”
Stark added that, even though there is no salary cap, there is still a limit to the amount Seattle ownership could reasonably spend.
“There’s money and there’s dead money. They are two different things,” Stark said. “I don’t think there is any problem with them spending the money – you’ve seen them spend it on Cano and Nelson Cruz, you’ve seen them already tie up Kyle Seager for a long time. But there is a limit to this and if you have too much dead money on your team, which is a danger when you get into players in their 30s, it really handicaps your ability to adjust, maneuver, be flexible, and do what you need to do to stay competitive down the road.”
Another name on the market, and at a potentially less expensive cost, that Stark has heard about is Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran.
“If the Yankees do decide to get into seller mode – and we’re not used to living in a world where that happens – he becomes as interesting and intriguing as any guy on the market,” Stark said. “He’s a rental, he’s a winner; on the other hand, when he went to the Giants the last time he was a big deadline deal, that didn’t work out very well for the Giants and they gave up Zach Wheeler. So I don’t know that Jerry is in to taking on a lot of years, money and age. He clearly knows what he needs.”
