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Seattle Mariners catcher Mike Zunino, a former first-round draft pick who has not fully met expectations in his six major seasons, seems set on a trip across the country.
According to several reports, the Mariners agree with the Tampa Bay Rays for an exchange that would send Zunino, league player Guillermo Heredia and a minor pitcher from the league to Jerry Dipoto's favorite trading partner.
In exchange, the Mariners would receive the player Mallex Smith and a minor league player.
Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times was the first to signal the potential deal and the Mariners and Rays have been in talks for a week. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Tuesday that the Mariners had talked about Zunino at Rayons and he then confirmed the deal.
It is thought that the agreement could be finalized on Thursday. The sailors had nothing confirmed or officially announced.
What is strange in this agreement is that the Mariners already had Smith briefly. He was acquired and quickly traded to Tampa Bay in exchange for right-hander Drew Smyly, who would never play a match for the Mariners after needing an end-of-season surgery for Tommy John during his spring training.
Smith spent 77 minutes with the Mariners after being acquired under a contract with the Braves before the 2017 season.
Smith's trip is one of the reasons why Dipoto earned his nickname "Trader Jerry". It would also be the 10th match of Rayons at Dipoto since its recovery before the 2016 season.
Once finalized, this trade would mark the end of an era in Seattle for Zunino, which was the No. 3 draw of the 2012 draw at the University of Florida.
On Wednesday night, Zunino was announced as Wilson's defensive player of the year – an award for best baseball defensive receiver, even though Zunino was not even a finalist in the AHL's gold medal this season.
He has shown tremendous talent, but his future with the Mariners has been seriously questioned with his offensive decline this season after a solid season last year. He reduced the score by 251 / .331 / .509 in 2017 and, after two runs on the disabled list, for a sprained leg and an ankle injury, he hit .20 / .259 / .410 this season.
For his career, Zunino has reduced from .207 / .276 / .406 to more than 2,000 bats. It has earned $ 2.975 million in 2018 and is expected to earn $ 4 million in 2019.
And with the craft, the only catcher remaining in the line of 40 sailors would be David Freitas.
Heredia had a good start to the season and was the Mariners' best defensive player, but finished the year beating .236 / .318 / .342. He was their fourth player and often grouped with Denard Span (now a free agent) and Ben Gamel.
So who are the sailors?
Smith averaged .296 / .367 / .406 and stole 40 bases in his first full-league season this year for the Rays. He is 25, a former fifth round pick at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Fla., And is under club control until 2023.
It matches the bill for players aged 25 to 30, Dipoto, who said he wants to refuel. And it is a fast and sporty player who played mainly in the center of the field last season, but also 47 games on the right and 38 on the left.
The obvious conclusion is that Dee Gordon will come back to second base and Smith will play center. And that means more than first-baseline hitters and designated for Robinson Cano, who said after the last game that he was planning to play for the second time next season.
And if Cano plays a designated hitter, that does not mean Nelson Cruz, who is a free agent.
And if Zunino is the first to leave, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! has already released a report earlier this week. Sports say the Mariners are considering a "full dismantling" – so it certainly means the Mariners could also look for ways to separate from Gordon and / or Cano.
Welcome to the league of hot furnaces.
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#Rays, #Mariniers close to the finish line of a contract that sends Mallex Smith to Sea for Guillermo Heredia / Mike Zunino. @RyanDivish 1st TB wanted a catch of RH. I've had a series with pop (45 HR in the last 2 years), not a lot of BA, but a good defensive representative.
– Joel Sherman (@ Joelsherman1) November 8, 2018
The source confirms #Rays are in agreement with #Mariniers on the Zunino trade, pending a medical examination. By @RyanDivish, deal is Zunino and Guillermo Heredia at Rays for Mallex Smith. TB acquired Smith from SEA as part of Drew Smyly's trading in January 2017.
– Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 8, 2018
Sources: The Mariners are trying to finish an exchange that would send receiver Mike Zunino and league player Guillermo Heredia to the Rays in exchange for field player Mallex Smith. The transaction could be finalized the next day.
https://t.co/3WsH4b1z1r pic.twitter.com/hr4msB88oJ
– Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) November 8, 2018
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