Mariners add Justin Ruggiano; will there be another move?

General manager Jack Zduriencik has said for some time that the Mariners could go the platoon route in right field and he is one step closer to that after acquiring Justin Ruggiano from the Cubs. A lifetime .266/.329/.508/.836 hitter against left-handed pitching with slightly better numbers last year, Ruggiano has been on the Mariners’ radar for some time.

“We’re excited about Justin. He’s a nice fit,” Zduriencik said on a conference call shortly after the deal was announced Wednesday morning. “We’ve viewed this guy as a guy who can hit left-handed pitching. He’s a tough kid, a gamer, a winner. This is an addition we have talked about for a while, and it got to the point where we pulled the trigger.”

Pulled the trigger at an affordable price. The Mariners sent relief prospect Matt Brazis to the Cubs in exchange for Ruggiano. The Mariners were high on Brazis – who was given the organizational Minor League Reliever of the Year Award last September – and sent him to the Arizona Fall League either to get work or looks. Brazis had not pitched above Double-A, however, and most likely would not have factored into the Mariners’ plans for the big-league club next season.

My thoughts on the deal? I actually looked into Ruggiano as a possibility on Tuesday but got the impression that the Cubs would hold onto him as a platoon player at worst. His right-handed splits are solid and he can play all three outfield positions, which is good in that it doesn’t lock the Mariners into having to keep James Jones on the big-league roster as a center-field backup. On a conference call with the local media, Ruggiano said he was most comfortable in right and center.

As Zduriencik said, Ruggiano appears to be a good fit. There are question marks, however. He turns 33 in April and there could be a falloff in his numbers. He is coming off an injury-plagued season but he says he is now 100 percent after offseason ankle surgery. I don’t feel comfortable calling him a risk/reward type player. I see him more as someone who should be a solid addition as part of a platoon.

A platoon that needs a lefty. Zduriencik is still looking, although he told “The Michael Grey Show” on 710 ESPN Seattle that nothing is imminent. There are a number of options available in free agency or by trade, including Seth Smith of the Padres. Brad Miller
remains an option in the outfield as well.

This is not a big move. The local beat reporters all warned on Tuesday that it would not be and Zduriencik himself said on the “Hot Stove Show” that his next moves most likely would not be the big splashes some were anticipating.

Less than 24 hours before the deal was made, I wrote that it was time for the Mariners to dip into the farm system and make a trade. Not a trade for a player that would have just one year remaining on his contract and involve Taijuan Walker and/or Brad Miller, but a trade that involved players a step below those two or that returned a player with more club control. While this was in no way that kind of deal, it still has the potential to provide the needed impact in right for one year as long as the Mariners commit to the platoon and find a good option from the left side.

MLB Trade Rumors estimates that Ruggiano will make $2.5 million in 2015, his second year of arbitration eligibility. He has two years of control remaining and could fill a fourth-outfielder or pinch-hit role should the Mariners find a more permanent option in the next year. As I have pointed out many times, the free-agent market next year is much better for outfielders.

At the end of the day, the Mariners take a step toward by filling an important need and they still have all of their chips. A big deal, while unlikely, still could be struck. If not, perhaps a smaller deal and all of their chips in their pocket. Chips that could help keep that window from closing down the road.

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