M’s notebook: Seattle continues to be active in trade market
Published 6:00 pm Thursday, July 28, 2016
CHICAGO — The Seattle Mariners have already made two recent trades and remain active in discussions as the deadline approaches for non-waiver deals at 1 p.m. Pacific time on Monday.
Trades can be made after the deadline but the players involved must pass through revocable waivers, which offer the opportunity for any other club to claim the player’s contract.
A club can revoke waivers on a claimed player, but it loses that privilege if it sends that player through waivers a second time.
Several clubs, including the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers, are believed to have contacted the Mariners about pitchers Taijuan Walker and James Paxton. The Mariners show little inclination to trade either one but are shopping Wade Miley.
Miami has shown interest in Miley, who delivered quality starts in his last two outings. He is next scheduled to start Saturday against the Cubs.
The Mariners are linked in interest to Cincinnati outfielder Jay Bruce, Los Angeles Angels right-handed reliever Joe Smith and Arizona right-handed reliever Daniel Hudson.
The Smith rumor isn’t surprising because general manager Jerry Dipoto, as the Angels GM, signed Smith as a free agent after the 2013 season. Smith will be a free agent after the season.
The Hudson rumor seems less likely because the Mariners just acquired a struggling right-handed reliever in Drew Storen. And like Storen (and Smith), Hudson will be a free agent after the season.
Bruce is the type of outfield bat the Mariners covet going forward. He currently leads the National League with 79 RBI while batting .271 with 25 homers.
Several other clubs are also believed to be interested in Bruce, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, Texas and Cleveland Indians. Bruce’s contract has a club option next year for $13 million.
Postseason odds
The Mariners have reached 100 games and, at 51-49, have an open date before opening their weekend series at Wrigley Field. Some updated postseason odds:
— Fangraphs.com projects the Mariners to finish at 83-79 and in third place in the American League West Division, five games behind first-place Texas. It computes the Mariners have a 16.9-percent chance to reach postseason.
— Baseballprospectus.com projects the Mariners to finish at 84-78 and in third place in the AL West, four games behind first-place Texas. It computes the Mariners have a 24.9-percent chance to reach postseason.
— ESPN.com projects the Mariners to finish at 82-80 and in third place in the AL West, seven games behind first-place Texas. It computes the Mariners have an 18 percent chance to reach postseason.
Minor details
Five players from Short-A Everett were picked to represent the Northwest League in its annual all-star game against the Pioneer League on Aug. 2 in Ogden, Utah.
The AquaSox’s selections include outfielder Kyle Lewis, who recently suffered a major knee injury. The other four are right-handed pitchers Ljay Newsome and Brandon Miller, shortstop Donnie Walton and outfielder Eric Filia.
Newsome was a 26th-round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. The other four were selected in this year’s draft: Lewis in the first round, Walton in the fifth round, Miller in the sixth round and Filia in the 20th round.
Looking back
It was eight years ago Friday — July 29, 2008 — that Ichiro Suzuki collected his 3,000th career hit in an 11-10 loss at Texas. That total included 1,278 hits over his nine seasons in Japan before coming to the big leagues in 2001.
Suzuki now plays for Miami and entered Thursday with 2,997 hits in his 16 big-league seasons. The first 2,533 of those hits came in his 11 1/2 seasons with the Mariners.
Short hops
Right-hander Taijuan Walker, out since July 5 because of tendinitis in his right foot, is scheduled to throw a bullpen workout Friday before departing on a minor-league rehab assignment. He is expected to start Monday for Triple-A Tacoma against Albuquerque (Rockies) at Cheney Stadium. … Plans call for right-handed reliever Nick Vincent, out since June 26 because of a strained muscle in his middle back, to begin throwing from a mound this weekend at Tacoma. … The Mariners are playing at Wrigley Field for only the second time in franchise history. They lost two of three to the Cubs from June 12-14, 2007. The Cubs have made three trips to Safeco Field (2002, 2010 and 2013) and have a 5-4 edge in those games for a 7-5 overall advantage in the all-time series.
On tap
The Mariners open a three-game weekend series at 11:20 a.m. Pacific time Friday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago. It will be their first trip to the North Side since 2007.
Right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma (11-6 with a 3.96 ERA) will face Cubs lefty and Bellarmine alum Jon Lester (10-4, 3.09). The game can be seen on Root Sports Northwest and heard on 710 ESPN.
