Mariners trade Austin Nola to Padres in 7-player deal, get 4 players back

Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto is up to his old tricks again.

Shannon Drayer breaks down the deal | A look at M’s four new players

With the MLB trade deadline approaching on Monday afternoon, Dipoto pulled off his most significant deal since prying prized prospect Jarred Kelenic away from the New York Mets in a blockbuster trade ahead of the 2019 season. This time, the Mariners are sending catcher/utility player Austin Nola and relief pitchers Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla to San Diego for two Padres prospects and another pair of young players.

The Mariners announced the deal Sunday night after reports that Nola was heading to the Padres – the first coming from ESPN’s Jeff Passan – surfaced shortly after the conclusion of Seattle’s 2-1 win over the Angels in the afternoon.

We’ve acquired OF @Taytram24, INF Ty France, C @LuisTorrens13 and RHP Andrés Muñoz in exchange for C Austin Nola, RHP @DanAlt3225 and RHP Austin Adams.

Welcome to Seattle! 🙌

📰 https://t.co/UkByPaYL0p pic.twitter.com/6qMgpaTQHA

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 31, 2020

The four players who the Mariners have acquired are:

• OF Taylor Trammell

22 years old, San Diego’s No. 5 prospect on MLB Pipeline, first-round draft pick (35th overall) in 2016.

Championship Series. Winner take all. Top 9. Down 2.

Taylor Trammell is THAT DUDE. #PadresOnDeck pic.twitter.com/fohHRWkSXK

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 15, 2019

• RHP Andres Muñoz

21 years old, made MLB debut in 2019, currently on injured list due to Tommy John surgery in March.

• C Luis Torrens

24 years old, 70 games on MLB experience, made MLB debut in 2017.

• IF Ty France

26 years old, 88 games of MLB experience, made MLB debut in 2019.

“We are excited to add four talented players to the Mariners organization, all of whom are playing in their age-25 or younger seasons,” Dipoto said in a press release from the Mariners. “Ty France has shown the ability to play the corners of the diamond, while providing pop at the plate. Andres Muñoz is an electric arm, who at 21, has already gained experience at the Big League level. Luis Torrens receives well behind the plate and has the ability to be a productive hitter at the Major League level. Taylor Trammell is a dynamic player who has an advanced left-handed bat, speed on the bases and above-average defense in the outfield.”

The 30-year-old Nola is the centerpiece of the deal for the Padres, who both are in playoff contention and own one of the deepest and most talented farm systems in baseball. Nola has established himself as Seattle’s starting catcher this season with Tom Murphy injured and has continued to swing a productive bat after a strong start to his big league career with the Mariners in 2019. For a closer look at Nola, read this previous story from Sunday.

Adams, 29, has been on the IL all season thus far for Seattle recovering from October surgery for a torn ACL. He was one of the Mariners’ most productive relievers in 2019 with a 3.77 ERA, 51 strikeouts and 14 walks in 31 innings (29 appearances) after being acquired from the Washington Nationals.

Altavilla, who turns 28 in just over a week, has appeared in 108 games for the Mariners since making his MLB debut in 2016. A fifth-round pick of Seattle in 2014, he has a career ERA of 4.08 but has dealt with several injuries and struggled the past two seasons. This year he has a 7.71 ERA with 14 strikeouts and seven walks in 13 appearances (11.2 innings).

Follow 710Sports.com’s Brent Stecker on Twitter.

Mariners’ next opponent, Oakland A’s, have positive virus test

Follow @BrentStecker