Seattle Mariners Trade For All-Star Dee Gordon
The Seattle Mariners have traded for All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon of the Miami Marlins. It’s an interesting move, to say the least, as the Mariners already have one of the best second basemen in baseball in Robinson Cano. A report by baseball analyst Ryan Divish states that the plan is to move Gordon to center field. If it works out, Gordon would become the starting center fielder and most likely candidate to bat leadoff for the Mariners during the 2018 MLB season.
Gordon stated that he was surprised that the deal took place and even more so about the plan to move him to center field. He seemed satisfied with giving up his position for Cano, but there is certainly going to be a learning curve as Gordon tries to become comfortable playing in the outfield again. The only time that Gordon has seen time in center field during his professional career was during the 2013-14 Dominican Winter League, where he was out there for seven games. Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto spoke at length about this with the Seattle Times.
“I don’t think the transition to centerfield will be a terribly difficult one for him. He actually doesn’t [live] too far from Ken Griffey Jr. So I think he’s actually reaching out for a little assistance. We are thrilled to have him. It allows us to play that fast athletic game we’ve been looking for and we do trust that the ability for him to acclimate himself into centerfield will be a pretty seamless transition for him. [sic]”
Breaking: Mariners deal trio of prospects to the Marlins for Dee Gordon + more international money (via @RyanDivish) https://t.co/bKsk7CiBpz pic.twitter.com/CYVdblIGO2
— Seattle Times Sports (@SeaTimesSports) December 7, 2017
The Seattle Mariners trade was completed by sending top pitching prospect Nick Neidert to the Miami Marlins along with right-handed pitcher Robert Dugger and infielder Christopher Torres. In addition to the Dee Gordon trade, the Mariners also acquire another $1 million in international pool money that can be used in an offer to Shohei Ohtani. That could be a huge deal, as the Mariners are now at roughly $3.557 million in bonus pool money that can be offered to Ohtani as a signing bonus. It’s slightly more than the Texas Rangers have.
During the 2017 MLB season, Dee Gordon played 158 games for the Miami Marlins, posting 201 hits, 114 runs scored, a 0.308 batting average, and 60 stolen bases. It was the third time in four years that Gordon has led the league in steals and he continues to hit well from the leadoff spot. The two-time All-Star at second base has three guaranteed years left on his contract ($10.8 million in 2018, $13.3 million in 2019, and $13.8 million in 2020) before a team option worth $14 million in 2021.
