Seattle Mariners: Zunino part of 5 player swap. What it means for the M’s.

More to come

So is this a white flag? Has Seattle decided to dismantle the team and start rebuilding? I don’t think that’s the course they are going to travel, but it’s going to be a bumpy offseason in my opinion. Even the most stringent “true to the blue” fans are going to be tested.

This move signals that Seattle is certainly willing to move players in a quest to improve and remove the label as one of the worst professional teams in American sports. In order to accomplish that however, pretty much no player is going to be off-limits to be discussed in potential trades, with the exception of perhaps Mitch Haniger, James Paxton, and Edwin Diaz, I expect the M’s brass to listen to offers for pretty much any other player.

I would not be surprised to see Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, Jean Segura, Gordon, and/or Felix Hernandez gone, and actually expect at least half of that group to be moved should Seattle find reasonable return. While many would say that’s another rebuild, I would encourage a little bit of patience.

The M’s aren’t trading Major League talent for farm players, they are trading for less expensive and younger major league talent with more club control, moving forward. These types of moves help with financial flexibility and aren’t always as they seem up front. Teams in full rebuild aren’t looking for major league ready everyday players, rather they want young talent close in their opinions to the majors.