16:18: The teams announced an exchange.
16:01: Ken Rosenthal of Athletic reports (on twitter) that the deal also includes a player whose name will be announced later. He adds that Cincinnati believes the hitherto unknown player is “upgrading” the quality of his comeback.
15:53: In exchange, Cincinnati acquires an outfielder Jake Frehleyrocking perspective Brandon Williamson and right-handed Justin DunnFeinsand adds. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on twitter) that Seattle is taking over the remaining three years and $35 million on Suarez’s contract.
15:48: The Mariners are finalizing a deal that will bring in a star outfielder. Jesse Winker from the Reds, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan (link to twitter). Seattle also acquires a third baseman Eugenio SuarezMark Feinsand of MLB.com reportson twitter).
Jerry Dipoto, president of the Mariners baseball team, has been open all winter about his hunt for offensive help. Seattle already signed defending winner AL Cy Young Robbie Ray to a five-year contract, but had previously done little to rectify their breach. . Winker is now becoming a big player on offense and can be controlled through referral over the next two seasons.
Winker received well-deserved recognition for his first All-Star appearance last season, but he’s been a great striker for quite a while now. He had a wRC+ of 127 or better (at least 27 percentage points above the league average) in four of the five seasons of his career. The former first-round extra has been particularly impressive in the last couple of years. Going back to the start of the 2020 campaign, he owns a .292/.392/.552 line with 36 home runs in 668 plate appearances.
Last year, he counted 485 bowling and hit a .305/.394/.556 personal best with a high walking rate of 10.9% and a strikeout percentage of 15.5%, more than seven points below the league average. Winker rarely swings, misses, or chases serves outside of the strike zone, and he is capable of dealing a lot of damage when he makes contact. His scores are well above average in terms of rate of fire, hard contact percentage, and average exit speed.
It’s easy to see the appeal of Seattle in adding such offensive firepower to the lineup. Despite winning 90 games, the Mariners didn’t have a particularly productive offense last year. Last season, the Seattle forwards were only 21st on the wRC+ team (no pitchers). They finished 22nd in total points scored. Winker should be a huge help to a team that needs to improve if they are to break a 20-year playoff drought.
However, Winker is not entirely without flaws. In defense, he is limited to the extreme corner of the field, and he has never been evaluated positively in the public eye. He is 20 runs below his average of 2,335 2/3 career innings in corners according to Saved Runs Defensively (in addition to three runs below his average of 138 as a center fielder). On Statcast’s ‘Above Average’ report, he has -21 major league games, including -7 last season.
Winker’s left hand also has some of the league’s most notable platoon splits. He has been a true elite in his career against right-handed serves (.313/.405/.556), but his numbers without a platoon advantage (.188/.305/.295) are underwhelming. Winker is probably not a strict platoon player – he at least takes a lot of walks against left-handers – but his influence has been centered on feasting on right-handers.
However, perhaps more troubling than any other aspect of his talent was the lack of volume. Winker has been on the injured list every full season of his MLB career. On the eve of last season, the 28-year-old has never played even 400 matches in the big leagues. He racked up a career-high 485 trips last year but ended the season on the injured list after suffering an intercostal sprain in mid-August (from which he tried unsuccessfully to return in September).
All this makes Winker a difficult player, but there is no doubt that he will improve Seattle’s offense in general. Presumably, he will become a regular “M” left fielder, joining the outfield in which Jarred Kelenick in the field and Mitch Haniger on right. Former Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis suffers another serious knee injury and Dipoto told reporters (including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times) he is unlikely to be ready for the start of the season as they are cautious about rebuilding him. Former main avenue Taylor Trammell and public utility Dylan Moore there could be depth options behind the proposed season-opening trio of Winker, Kelenik and Haniger. Julio Rodriguezone of the top prospects in the top 5 at the end of last season.
This is a continuation of the Reds’ efforts to cut wages, which have been signaling a desire to cut wages for months. Cincinnati sold Tucker Barnhart and lost Wade Miley on refusal with virtually no return, in November. They listened to their best starting pitchers and moved on to Sonny Gray Gemini for presenting perspective Chase Petty on the weekend. Today’s swap is the most notable of them all, as the Reds cut Suarez’s $11.285 million consecutive paychecks in 2022-24 and Winker’s projected $6.8 million arbitrage price tag from the books.
Not all.