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Would this Seattle Mariners-Cincinnati Reds trade work?

By Kevin Henry

CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 01: Sonny Gray #54 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches in the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during game two of a doubleheader at Great American Ball Park on September 01, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 01: Sonny Gray #54 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches in the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during game two of a doubleheader at Great American Ball Park on September 01, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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While no trades between Major League Baseball teams impacting the 40-man roster can currently be conducted, it doesn’t mean that some hypothetical trades can’t be explored during the lockout. With that in mind, let’s look at one floated out there between the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners.

Could this fan-proposed hypothetical trade between the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners work?

In an article for The Athletic (subscription required), former MLB general manager Jim Bowden invited fans to submit proposals for trades that they think might be able to happen in real life. Among the trades proposed involved a deal between the Mariners and Reds that would send right-handed starting pitcher Sonny Gray to the Pacific Northwest in exchange for a pair of Seattle’s top seven prospects.

Here’s the proposal as was pitched (pardon the pun) to Bowden…

Gray has been rumored to be among the Cincinnati pitchers who are potentially on the trading block, with recent rumors saying the Toronto Blue Jays were “very interested” in acquiring Gray or another of Cincinnati’s starters before the lockout went into effect.

Entering his 10th MLB season, Gray has pitched in the American League West before, hurling for five seasons with the Oakland A’s before moving on to the New York Yankees and eventually Cincinnati. He has a lifetime 3.61 ERA/3.69 FIP/1.220 WHIP, but is coming off a season where the ERA crept up to 4.19 in 26 starts covering 135.1 innings.

DeLoach (Seattle sixth-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com) was a second-round pick of the Mariners in 2020 and advanced to Double-A last season. Williamson, meanwhile, is ranked and Seattle’s seventh-ranked prospect. He was a second-round pick for Seattle in 2019 and also finished last season at Double-A.

While that would be two top prospects going to Cincinnati in the fan-proposed deal, Bowden said that more pitching might be needed in the deal to make it happen. Therefore, he suggested swapping out Williamson for southpaw Adam Macko, who is currently ranked 12th among Mariners prospects. He spent last season in Low-A.

Next. Would this trade between the Rays and Reds work?. dark

A pair of pitching prospects for a two-time All-Star? Bowden believes both sides would agree to the fan-proposed, hypothetical deal, but what do you think? Is that enough of a return if you’re Cincinnati? Is that too much to pay if you’re Seattle? Let us know in the comments section below.

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