The Seattle Mariners are closing in on another option for their outfield. The club is nearing a deal with the San Diego Padres that would bring Seth Smith to Seattle. The Padres are hunting pitcher Brandon Maurer in return.
Been brewing for awhile but hearing #Mariners are Very close to trade for Seth Smith.
— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) December 30, 2014
The #Padres have been trying to get RHP Brandon Mauer from the #Mariners in trade talks involving OF Seth Smith.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 30, 2014
Smith would serve as a perfect platoon partner for another new Seattle acquisition, Justin Ruggiano. Ruggiano smashed lefties to the tune of a .305/.333/.512 line in 2014, and has a career .266/.329/.508 line against southpaws. Smith can’t hit lefties very well at all but performs well against right-handers, hitting .270/359/.455 in 2014 and .277/.358/.481 for his career.
Bringing in Smith would effectively cap the Mariners’ offseason. They upgraded at DH with Nelson Cruz, and the Smith/Ruggiano platoon would give them a decent setup in one outfield corner. You can do a lot worse. When you consider that Seattle didn’t pay a mint in prospects for someone like a Justin Upton or Matt Kemp, their upgrades look that much better.
Maurer is an interesting buy-low target for San Diego. In 38 appearances (seven starts) with Seattle last year, he had a 4.65 ERA, though he did strike out 55 while walking only 19. He’s a pretty extreme fly ball pitcher, and getting him to Petco Park could help him out a lot. He’s made 21 starts for the Mariners over the last two seasons, but he could be better off in the bullpen long-term.
