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| from NY daily news |
The New York Mets have acquired RHP Edwin Diaz, 2B Robinson Cano and $20 million in cash from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for OF Jay Bruce, RHP Anthony Swarzak, RHP Gerson Bautista, OF Jarred Kelenic and RHP Justin Dunn.
For the Mets, they are looking to be competitive again, and this is a move that will help them. At 24, Diaz set the Mariners record for saves in 2018 with 57, and has years left of control. Cano is coming off a PED suspension, and is 36 with 5 years left on his contract, but is still a good hitter. They give up a lot of players, but only Kelenic, the 6th overall pick in 2018, and Dunn, a AA pitcher, are useful pieces.
Diaz, 24, had a career season in 2018, with a 1.96 ERA, 1.61 FIP, 124 strikeouts and 57 saves in 73.1 innings. In his MLB career, all for the Mariners, Diaz has an ERA of 2.64, a 2.56 FIP, 301 strikeouts and 109 saves in 191 innings.
Cano, 36, had a .303 batting average, .374 OBP, 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 348 Plate Appearances in 2018 for the Mariners in 2018. The best year of his career was in 2010 with the New York Yankees, when he had a .319 batting average, .381 OBP, 29 home runs and 109 RBIs in 696 Plate Appearances. In his MLB career for the Mariners and Yankees, Cano has a .304 batting average, a .355 OBP, 311 home runs and 1233 RBIs in 8841 Plate Appearances.
For the Mariners, they are in rebuild mode. Trading Cano was necessary, and they had to trade Diaz to start a rebuild. They get two good prospects in Dunn and Kelenic, and Bruce and Swarzak, who they can flip.
Bruce, 31, had a .223 batting average, .310 OBP, nine homers and 37 RBIs in 361 Plate Appearances for the Mets this year. The best year of his career was in 2012, with the Cincinnati Reds when he had a batting average of .252, a .327 OBP, 34 homers and 99 RBIs in 633 Plate Appearances. In his MLB career for the Mets, Reds and Cleveland Indians, Bruce has a .247 batting average, .318 OBP, 286 home runs and 875 RBIs in 6167 Plate Appearances.
Swarzak, 33, had a 6.15 ERA, 5.48 FIP and 31 strikeouts in 26.1 innings for the Mets in 2018. The best year of his career came in 2017 with the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, when he had a 2.33 ERA, 2.74 FIP and 91 strikeouts in 77.1 innings. In his MLB career for the Mets, Brewers, White Sox, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians, Swarzak has a 4.30 ERA, 4.15 FIP and 433 strikeouts in 587.2 innings.
Bautista, 23, allowed six runs in 4.1 innings (12.46 ERA) with three strikeouts in 2018, his first major league season.
Kelenic, 19, had a .286 batting average, .371 OBP, six home runs, 42 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 254 Plate Appearances in rookie league this year, his first professional season.
Dunn, 23, had a 3.59 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 135.1 innings for High-A St. Lucie and AA Binghamton.
I think this is an even trade. The Mets get two stars, and the Mariners get the prospects they need.
CarterHud 