The Seattle Mariners have pulled a trade for outfielder Seth Smith with the San Diego Padres for relief pitcher Brandon Maurer and this could be the final big move for general manager Jack Zduriencik as he tries to get the M's into the playoffs in 2015.
The Mariners have been an active team this offseason, but no one has been as active as the Padres, who have now acquired Wil Myers, Justin Upton and Matt Kemp along with Maurer. According to ESPN.com, the trade is a straight up move for the teams, with each side dealing from depth and strength for an area of need. The Padres had 11 outfielders on the roster, while the Mariners have a deep bullpen and needed another outfield bat.
Smith gives the Mariners the chance to platoon with Justin Ruggiano in right field and he also can play multiple positions in the outfield. The Mariners felt comfortable trading Maurer despite him having a stellar season in the bullpen, as they have plenty of depth with relief pitching and also have a young player in Carson Smith who now has the chance to step up. The 32 year old Smith hit .266 last season with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs and he was very solid against right handed pitching.
The Mariners already signed Nelson Cruz to a contract and traded for Ruggiano with the Cubs and now they add Smith to a lineup that needs to produce more on offense. Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager had MVP-type seasons, but the rest of the team overall did not score enough and now the M's are hoping for a boost in offense and possibly a playoff appearance. The team finished one game behind the Oakland Athletics in the AL wild card race while winning 87 games and now they are hoping these moves put them into the postseason.
Maurer came up as a starter with the Mariners and eventually was moved to the bullpen, where he flourished, putting up a 2.17 ERA in 31 appearances in 2014. Smith will be under team control through 2016 and he has a team option for the 2017 season, giving the Mariners a player that is not just a one year rental. Seattle had a major hole in right after moving Michael Saunders and now they have brought in Ruggiano and Smith to play with Dustin Ackley and Austin Jackson in the outfield.
The Mariners brought in Cruz after he led the league in home runs and that will give Seattle a major power boost at DH, while Smith and Ruggiano can now platoon in the outfield. Felix Hernandez is coming back after a near Cy Young season, while Robinson Cano has basically transformed the franchise after coming in on a free agent deal last year.
