Seattle Mariners Trade Rumors: Mariners Acquire Outfielder From Texas Rangers

Seattle Mariners trade rumors have the team acquiring Leonys Martin from the Texas Rangers. These Seattle Mariners trade rumors would address a hole in the outfield, with Martin possibly slated as the new left fielder or center fielder for the team. A tweet from baseball analyst TR Sullivan on November 16 states that in exchange for Martin, the Mariners are giving up former closer Tom Wilhelmsen.

Leonys Martin is a 27-year-old outfielder who has played the last five seasons with the Texas Rangers. In 429 career games, he has a.255 batting average, a.666 OPS, and 84 stolen bases to his credit. Martin can play left field and center field. His early projections for the 2016 MLB season are a.255 batting average, 24 extra base hits, and 19 stolen bases.

For the 2016 MLB season, Martin is entering arbitration for the first time in his career. He is coming off a contract that paid him $4.75 million for the 2015 season, but will be team-controlled for the next three seasons. Martin is expected to go right into the starting lineup for the Mariners.

These Seattle Mariners trade rumors don’t end there, though, as this is reportedly a five-player deal. In addition to dealing Tom Wilhelmsen to the Texas Rangers, the Mariners are apparently sending outfielder James Jones and a prospect to be named later. The other component coming to Seattle will be right-handed pitcher Anthony Bass.

Tom Wilhelmsen has pitched the last five seasons for the Seattle Mariners, posting a 2.97 ERA and 1.191 WHIP over 312 1/3 innings of work. He has posted a record of 11-10 in that time, saving 67 games as well as the part-time closer. Wilhelmsen has been an integral part of the bullpen for the Mariners and might be hard to replace in the short-term.

After making $1.4 million during 2015 in his first arbitration season, the Rangers have two more years of team control when it comes to Wilhelmsen. He is expected to see a nice pay raise during the coming hearings, with the possibility that the team could instead offer him a muliple-year deal to cover those seasons. Wilhelmsen will turn 32 in December.

These latest Seattle Mariners trade rumors continue to show that new general manager Jerry Dipoto is ready to take some chances with the roster. Wilhelmsen has become a fan-favorite while pitching out of the bullpen, so this trade might be a difficult one to sell to the fans. It also puts added pressure on Leonys Martin to perform well right away.

Anthony Bass might help add more depth to the starting rotation if the Mariners decide to use him in that fashion. He started 18 games with the San Diego Padres before getting traded to the Houston Astros. Bass was then sent to the Texas Rangers for the 2015 MLB season. Over 278 1/3 innings of work, he has a 4.40 ERA and 1.387 WHIP at the Major League level. As a starting pitcher he posted a 4.48 ERA and 1.383 WHIP over 98 1/3 innings pitched. He could easily be seen as a No. 5 pitcher in the starting rotation or a long reliever out of the bullpen.

Mariners fans might also be frustrated that James Jones could be part of this trade. He showed a great ability to steal bases, but had trouble in the outfield and at getting on base. It meant Jones spent a lot of time for Triple-A Tacoma trying to find his swing. He could potentially be a good pinch runner for the Texas Rangers, but he could also still be a good leadoff hitter.

These Seattle Mariners trade rumors have not yet been confirmed by the team, but a confirmation could come before the end of the day on Monday, November 16.

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