Keith Law: M’s got no ‘major contributors’ in trades

By Cameron Van Til
Special to 710Sports.com

Keith Law of ESPN.com isn’t all that high on any of the players the Mariners acquired in their recent trades.

“I don’t think any of these guys are going to be a major contributor to the next good Mariners team,” Law told “Bob and Groz” on Wednesday.

However, Law acknowledged that the Mariners did not give up very much for these players and that shipping Ichiro away was a great move for the organization.

Here is a summary of what Law had to say about each acquisition:

Eric Thames

Eric Thames: Acquired from the Blue Jays for reliever Steve Delabar, Thames is a corner outfielder who has some raw power and can hit a fastball. However, he struggles with off-speed pitches, is not patient at the plate and is a poor defender. The best possible outcome for the Mariners is that Thames develops into an extra outfielder, but he doesn’t really appear to possess the essential skills one would like to see in a fourth outfielder.

Also, don’t let his numbers with Triple-A Las Vegas fool you. Although his .330 average in 54 games this season may look impressive, Las Vegas as a team hits above .300 thanks to the hitter-friendly confines of their park and some of the others in the Pacific Coast League.

Leon Landry: Landry, who excelled in baseball, basketball and football in high school, has a “limited feel for baseball” both offensively and defensively. Acquired from the Dodgers for reliever Brandon League, Landry does not have a great approach at the plate and is not a great defender, which is surprising when taking into account his speed. Landry has the potential to become a fourth outfielder if he can improve on his reads in center field, but his subpar approach at the plate will likely hold him back.

Logan Bawcom: There is a high probability that Bawcom, also acquired from the Dodgers in the League trade, will make it to the majors as a middle reliever. However, he doesn’t have any real upside. Bawcom is not someone who will one day be pitching in late-game situations.

D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar: Neither player acquired from the Yankees in the Ichiro trade really gives the Mariners much of anything, but again, this was a great deal for Seattle. Ichiro’s performance was steadily declining and the Mariners absolutely needed to part ways with him in order to move forward. This trade allowed them to do so while eliminating the “potential headache” of either having to not re-sign Ichiro in the offseason or re-signing him at a much lower salary, which would have been a “PR nightmare.”