Mariners trade: A look at the 4 players Seattle got from Padres in Nola deal
Aug 30, 2020, 8:56 PM | Updated: Aug 31, 2020, 1:16 am
The Mariners have pulled off their biggest move in quite some time, trading catcher/utility man Austin Nola as well as right-handed relievers Dan Altavilla and Austin Adams to the San Diego Padres for four young players, including one of the top prospects in all of baseball.
Shannon Drayer breaks down the deal | A look at four players Seattle got
Coming to Seattle are outfielder Taylor Trammell, who was the Padres’ fifth prospect, third baseman Ty France, catcher Luis Torrens and right-handed pitcher Andrés Muñoz.
Here’s a closer look at each of the players the Mariners are receiving from San Diego.
OF Taylor Trammell
Let’s start with the headliner, who is MLB Pipeline’s No. 60 prospect in all of baseball.
Trammell, 22, was selected in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds, who took him with the 35th overall pick. After three years in the Reds’ system, he was traded to San Diego in a three-team deal also involving the Cleveland Indians with the big names being Yasiel Puig and Trevor Bauer. Before the trade, Trammell played in the All-Star Futures Game in 2018, where he was the game’s MVP. He played in the game again in 2019.
Since entering pro ball in 2016, Trammell is a .270 hitter with 33 home runs and 195 RBIs in 426 games. He’s also incredibly fast, stealing 110 bases while being thrown out 37 times. He has also struck out 407 times compared to 219 walks.
Trammell spent all of 2019 in Double-A, hitting .234 with 10 home runs, 43 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.
Trammell is now the Mariners’ sixth top-60 prospect, per MLB Pipeline ratings, joining Jarred Kelenic (12), Julio Rodriguez (19), Emerson Hancock (38), Logan Gilbert (43) and Evan White (59).
The Padres played Trammell in center field, but per MLB Pipeline, some think he will wind up in left field because of his below-average arm, though he has an above-average glove and above-average speed. He, Kelenic and Rodriguez are all potential future outfield members along with Kyle Lewis, Jake Fraley and Braden Bishop, who are all currently with the big-league team.
3B Ty France
France, 26, spent some time with the Padres’ big-league club last year, hitting .234 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs in 69 games. He also played 19 games there this year, hitting .314 with two home runs and 10 RBIs.
A 34th-round pick in 2015, France tore up the minor leagues ever since. He is a career .294 minor league hitter in 535 games with 69 home runs and 352 RBIs. He has also struck out 370 times compared to 204 walks.
A third baseman by trade, France offers some flexibility on defense, as he has appeared in games at third base, second base, first base and designated hitter in his brief MLB career, which could be of use to give Kyle Seager, Evan White and Shed Long Jr. time off. He was San Diego’s opening day designated hitter this season.
C Luis Torrens
The Mariners got a catcher with MLB experience back for Nola, Altavilla and Adams in Torrens. The 24-year-old has played 70 MLB games between 2017 and 2020, with 56 of those games coming in 2017 at age 21. He spent all of 2018 at High-A and split time between the bigs and Double-A in 2019.
Torrens has struggled at the plate in the big leagues, hitting just .176 with no home runs and seven RBIs, but he has hit well in 381 career minor league games with a .272 average, 27 home runs, 186 RBIs, and 267 strikeouts to 141 walks. His numbers at the major-league level should come with a slight grain of salt, as he had never appeared above Single-A when he ultimately made his MLB debut in 2017.
Behind the plate, Torrens has thrown out 20% of runners with the Padres, but 40% in the minor leagues.
Torrens began his pro career with the Yankees, signing as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2012 and he was selected by the Reds in the Rule-5 draft of 2016 before immediately trading him to San Diego.
RHP Andrés Muñoz
Muñoz, 21, is the youngest player coming to the Mariners in the deal. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound right-handed reliever signed with San Diego as an international free agent in 2015 and made his pro debut in 2016.
In 100 career minor league games (106 innings), Muñoz has a 3.14 ERA with 150 strikeouts to 65 walks. He made his MLB debut last season at 20 years old and pitched well in 22 games, posting a 3.91 ERA, 1.174 WHIP in 23 innings. He struck out 30 while walking 11 and had a 1-1 record with one save.
Muñoz likely would have seen time at the major-league level again this year, but in March he underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss all of the 2020 season.
According to Statcast, Muñoz’s four-seam fastball averaged 99.9 MPH, second-highest in the MLB. He also throws a slider that sits in the mid-to-high 80s. He used his fastball 66.1% of the time and his slider 32.5%. He also occasionally threw a cutter and sinker.
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