Seattle Mariners Trade Rumors: Maurer for Viciedo?
By Todd Pheifer
The trade rumors will continue to fly, and the Seattle Mariners should be in the thick of the whispers as long as they remain in playoff contention. It is generally believed that the Mariners are looking for another bat.
Not that hard to figure out.
One rumor has the Mariners sending Brandon Maurer and perhaps another player to the Chicago White Sox for Dayan Viciedo. Seattle’s possible interest in ChiSox players has already been discussed, but now we are starting to get into specifics.
This is an interesting possibility, because it represents one of those “change of scenery” deals. Maurer looked like a strong candidate for the rotation after a strong spring in 2013, but eventually began to struggle. He is now the proud owner of a 6-12 career record with a 6.36 ERA.
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Fans may cringe at the possibility of trading Maurer, for fear that he will turn into an ace once he is on another team. However, predicting the future is still a challenging endeavor, and there is no way of knowing whether Maurer might rebound with the Mariners or with another club.
The Mariners have apparently been interested in Viciedo since 2012, but he hit 25 home runs that year. In 2013 he hit 14, and this year he has nine. Viciedo is hitting .242, with a meager on-base percentage of .294 in 2014. He has power, but is not exactly a well-rounded hitter.
There is some value in this trade for both teams. Each club would get a young player that has the potential to get better. Viciedo has been in the major for more years, but has yet to produce a WAR of greater than 0.6 (2012).
Let us know if you would do this deal, and why.
In the meantime, the rumors will continue.