The hot stove for free agent signings and trades has been hot in recent days and one of the most active teams has been the Cincinnati Reds. The problem for Reds fans is that the Reds, despite being in the playoff hunt in 2021, have been shedding everyone on their team. This time, they have traded outfielder Jesse Winker and third baseman Eugenio Suárez to the Seattle Mariners.
The Cincinnati Reds have traded Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez to the Seattle Mariners
The Cincinnati Reds have traded All-Star outfielder Jesse Winker and former All-Star infielder Eugenio Suárez to the Seattle Mariners, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
BREAKING: The Seattle Mariners are finalizing a trade to acquire All-Star outfielder Jesse Winker from the Cincinnati Reds, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 14, 2022
The Mariners are also acquiring Eugenio Suarez in the deal with the Reds, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) March 14, 2022
The Reds, in return, will receive MLB right-handed pitcher Justin Dunn, minor league left-handed pitcher Brandon Williamson, MLB outfielder Jake Fraley, and a player to be named later.
Cincinnati will receive Justin Dunn, Brandon Williamson and Jake Fraley from the Mariners for Winker and Suarez, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) March 14, 2022
The SEA-CIN deal also includes a player to be named going back to the Reds, source tells @TheAthletic. Reds high on that player, believe it will enhance package
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 14, 2022
Winker, 28, was an All-Star for the first time in 2021 for the Reds. When he is healthy, he is a great player … but the problem is that he is never healthy. He has spent parts of five seasons in the majors and he has never played in more than 113 games. In 2021, he was a starter for the NL in the outfield but only played in 110 games and only one after August 15.
He hit .305/.394/.556 with 24 homers, 71 RBI, 32 doubles, an OPS+ of 140, and an rWAR of 2.7.
Suárez, 30, was a great player in 2018 and 2019, as he received MVP votes in both seasons but in 2020 and 2021, he struggled with contact. He hovered around .200 with the batting average and, in 2021, he had an OPS+ of 80. He had 31 homers and 79 RBI but he had an on-base percentage of .286. The Mariners will assume the final three years and (roughly) $35 million that he is owed.
Dunn, 26, made 11 starts for the MLB team and he had an ERA of 3.75. He has spent parts of three seasons in the majors but he has struggled with control as he has averaged six walks per nine innings in 102 2/3 innings in the majors.
Fraley, 26, also has spent parts of three seasons in the majors but he played 78 games in the majors in 2021 (he only played in 19 in 2019 and 2020 combined). He hit .210/.352/.369 with an OPS+ of 104 and a 1.6 rWAR.
Williamson, 23, has only made it to Double-A so far but he is one of the top prospects in baseball. He was ranked as the #83 prospect entering the 2022 season by Baseball America. Between High-A and Double-A in 2021, Williamson made 19 starts with an ERA of 3.39. He struck out 14 and walked only three batters per nine innings.
For the Reds, the player to be named later will be the determiner on whether or not the deal is good but, as of now, it’s a bit light on the return. That with the absolute fire sale that wasn’t warranted by the team makes them one of the biggest losers of the offseason thus far.