Mariners get ESPN’s best grade for trade deadline moves so far

The Seattle Mariners made the first significant move of the MLB trade deadline season, and so far nobody has topped it.

At least that’s what ESPN is saying with the publication’s grades for moves made thus far.

What ESPN’s Passan expects from Seattle Mariners at trade deadline

ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield are writing up report cards for every trade made ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline. That includes the Tampa Bay Rays swapping catchers with the Milwaukee Brewers and Miami Marlins, the Detroit Tigers getting right-handed starter Chris Paddack from the Minnesota Twins, and the New York Yankees jumping the third base market to get Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies.

The Yankees, Brewers and Rays graded out well, all getting a B for their moves.

Believe it or not, the one team the Mariners dealt with last Thursday – the Arizona Diamondbacks – also get a B for bringing in minor league pitchers Ashton Izzi and Brandyn Garcia.

But just a bit better in ESPN’s eyes is the Mariners’ addition of first baseman Josh Naylor, which is graded a B-plus.

Schoenfield wrote up the report card for Seattle’s pickup of Naylor, pointing out that it gives the Mariners “a well-rounded hitter who has been one of the top contact hitters in the majors this season.”

Additionally, Schoenfield made note that the Mariners didn’t have to part with any prospects ranked in the top 10 of their farm system while upgrading at first base over a platoon of Luke Raley and Donovan Solano with a lefty hitter who can “play every day and fits somewhere in the middle of the lineup.” Also notable is Naylor’s low strikeout rate that will raise the floor for an offense that has struck out more than all but four other teams this year.

Naylor has made an impact already in his four games in a Mariners uniform, going 5 for 15 (.333 average) with a home run and becoming the first player in franchise history with four stolen bases in their first four games with the team.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Mariners’ addition of Josh Naylor looks great in two surprising ways
• Who M’s are jockeying with for Eugenio Suárez on trade market
• Dipoto: Mariners to be ‘aggressive’ in bullpen trade market
• If Mariners want to go big on a bullpen trade, there are options
• Salk: Naylor trade gives Seattle Mariners leverage for more moves

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