SLUMPING M'S ADD SLUGGER TRUMBO
The Seattle Mariners acquired outfielder Mark Trumbo and pitcher Vidal Nuno from the Arizona Diamondbacks for catcher Welington Castillo, pitcher Dominic Leone, outfielder Gabby Guerrero and infielder Jack Reinheimer.
What does it give the Seattle Mariners
The Mariners are still having trouble scoring runs this season, despite the arrival of slugger Nelson Cruz in the off-season. Enter Trumbo, another right-handed slugger who should help both Cruz and the Seattle offense in general. Trumbo, along with Cruz and left-handed batter Seth Smith will probably share the corner outfield and DH duties moving forward. This move helps the M's balance out the lineup a little, though they also add one more high-strikeout hitter in Trumbo.
What does it give the Arizona Diamondbacks
For the D'backs, this trade is more about the future assets acquired than any possible quick fix. Trumbo was starting to lose significant playing time to corner outfielders Ender Inciarte and David Peralta, so Arizona decided to move him back to the American League (where he has more value). In Castillo, Arizona lands a decent short-term catcher who might be able to carve out a fair amount of playing time this season due to the team's complete lack of talent behind the dish. The real gem here may be Guerrero, the nephew of former MLB superstar Vladimir Guerrero and a similar toolsy outfielder. Reinheimer could become a shortstop option for the Diamondbacks down the road, as he has more offensive upside than current starter Nick Ahmed.
Fantasy impact
The big winner in this trade could be Castillo, who only has Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jordan Pacheco and the injured Tuffy Gosewisch to compete with for playing time in Arizona. He may get his career back on track and has significantly more fantasy value following the trade. Trumbo will continue to slug home runs and strike out a lot in Seattle, but he should receive more playing time (in particular as a DH) so he too sees a spike in fantasy value. The long relievers involved in this deal (Dominic Leone and Vidal Nuno) are a wash, so their status doesn't change much now. Guerrero and Reinheimer should be on the keeper-league radar and now have more value with a better chance at early promotion to the bigs on the rebuilding D'backs.
