The Seattle Mariners Won’t Miss Brandon Maurer

By Raymond Schwabacher | Jan 2, 2015

Right field was never supposed to be a glaring need for the Seattle Mariners, but then they traded Michael Saunders. In doing so they gave themselves a new biggest need of the offseason, one which has since been filled with the Seth Smith/Justin Ruggiano platoon. One of those replacements came nearly for free. The other came at a serious cost.

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Getting Smith for Brandon Maurer was a good deal for Seattle. One’s a reliever, the other’s an almost-everyday player. Unless you’re trading Craig Kimbrel for Jeff Francoeur, that’s usually a deal worth making. The M’s shored up their biggest (and maybe only) major league need, and it only cost them a reliever. A real cost, but a reasonable one.

Maurer’s a notable loss because Maurer rips. He finally fulfilled his promise, albeit in relief, over the last few months of the season. There’s every reason to believe he can be a late-inning stud, although his inconsistent big league history may give some slight pause. Maurer’s the first loss since Saunders to create a hole on the 2015 team. Except this hole may not be a hole at all.

Whereas the M’s weren’t exactly overflowing with starting right fielders, they certainly do have an admirable collection of relief pitchers. Maurer has the talent to pitch the eighth, except that’s where Danny Farquhar pitches. There are probably no more than ten, fifteen relievers in the world who are better than Farquhar. Hell, he could close, but that’s what Fernando Rodney does. And that’s only the Mariners’ first tier.

Aug 24, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Danny Farquhar (40) reacts to catching a line drive hit by Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez (not pictured) and then throwing to first to complete an inning ending double play during the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Charlie Furbush is around in a set-up role, and he’s awesome. Ditto Tom Wilhelmsen, and ditto Dominic Leone. This is the tier that Maurer used to slot into, except he’s gone now. But luckily for the Mariners, they have another Smith up their sleeves – Carson Smith, that is.

Carson Smith is why the Mariners were able to trade for Seth Smith. Carson, realistically, would have also been a fine arm to exchange for Seth, but Brandon Maurer is who San Diego wanted, so that’s who they got. Smith’s a year older than Maurer, but his arm has less miles on it. They’re both big righties who throw really hard. They’re very similar pitchers.

This move allows the Mariners to keep long-time managerial favorite Yoervis Medina on the roster, and maybe there’s something to that. Before this move it was hard to see him having a spot, and despite his walk rate he’s a reasonably useful major league piece. The last spot will be saved for a LOOGY, either Lucas Luetge or David Rollins. All along there were nine guys for seven spots, with only one obvious possible omission. A trade was always going to be the obvious route.

The Mariners technically weakened their bullpen, since the next man up is now less likely to be a ready-and-waiting relief ace. But they’ve still got more quality options than available spaces, and now they also have a power-hitting right fielder who’s more or less built for Safeco Field. So the Mariners’ return helps them immensely, while the outgoing piece is talented yet superfluous.

The Mariners will miss Brandon Maurer the person and Brandon Maurer the fastball. He’s a fun player, and one who we’ve grown attached to over the years. But the bullpen is still in fantastic shape despite the trade. Carson Smith is a fun pitcher, too. We’ll grow attached to him, too. And unlike Maurer, we might get to see Smith pitch a playoff game for the Seattle Mariners. Which goes beyond the standard reaches of the word “fun.”

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