harmony

Skipping the shortened 2020 season, over the last two seasons the Red Sox have posted a 170-154 record and the Mariners a 180-144 record.

Over the three-year period the Red Sox winning percentage trailed the Mariner winning percentage only .505 to .539, making the Sox look better than the 2022 difference of .481 to .556.

Three years placed the Red Sox in a better light than the one most recent year.

Granted the distant fourth year made the Red Sox look better. How much weight should be assigned to each of the four years? Should 2019 be given the same weight as 2022 in considering the current status of each franchise?

The Seattle Mariners are highly, highly unlikely to trade J.P. Crawford.

Jarred Kelenic, Taylor Trammell and Cade Marlowe are all plus outfield defenders. Jarren Duran is not. Duran, with a career OPS+ of 69, is three years older than Kelenic, who has a career OPS+ of 66. Duran is a year older than Trammell, who has a career OPS+ of 82. Duran is nine months older than Marlowe, who this year between Double A and Triple A posted a .287/.377/.487/.864 line with 23 home runs, 102 RBI and 42 stolen bases.

The Mariners reportedly have traded Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro to Milwaukee for second baseman Kolten Wong:

In the seven seasons before this year the AL East averaged one win better than the AL West in head-to-head competition. This year the AL East dominated the AL West with a regular season record of 99-66 before the AL West went 6-0 against the AL East in the postseason, knocking out the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.

The addition of Jarren Duran would lessen the package because the Mariners would not want to devote a 40-man roster slot to Duran, who would trail Jarred Kelenic, Taylor Trammell and Cade Marlowe on the depth chart of lefthand-hitting outfielders.

Credit the 2021 Red Sox with falling only two wins shy of the World Series, a feat the Seattle Mariners have not accomplished since 2000. However, over the past three regular seasons the Mariners are 30 games above .500 at 207-177 while the Red Sox are four games above .500 at 194-190. The Red Sox may or may not close the gap. The resilient Sox have a history of making Houdini-like escapes from the last-place cage. It could happen again. Wishing the best for our favorite teams.

Gladly.

The Google translation:

Or the Mariners could sign a shortstop while keeping J.P. Crawford, Chris Flexen and Jesse Winker. Crawford can block all trades in 2022 and can block trades to five clubs in each of the following four years.

The Red Sox have opened a 40-man roster slot by outrighting catcher Ronaldo Hernandez to Triple A Worcester:

Like a franchise recognized this week by Baseball America: https://marinersblog.mlblogs.com/mariners-named-baseball-america-mlb-organization-of-the-year-8386f5adca8f :)

Perhaps there are no obvious Red Sox matches at the MLB level but the Mariners might be interested in prospects from an improved Boston farm system. Or not. Alex Verdugo might not be a better clubhouse fit than Jesse Winker and Tanner Houck might be redundant in Seattle's pitching depth chart. Or not. Seattle Times beat reporter Ryan Divish on Chris Flexen: https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/analysis-here-are-the-players-the-mariners-could-trade-to-take-the-next-step/

Today at The Athletic two beat reporters suggest a trade of Chris Flexen for Milwaukee second baseman Kolten Wong: https://theathletic.com/3958391/2022/12/02/mariners-brewers-trade-proposal-chris-flexen-kolten-wong/?source=freedailyemail&campaign=601983 MLB franchises and especially their fans tend to overvalue their assets but Flexen should be worth more than the $300,000 in surplus trade value at Baseball Trade Values (although BTV gives Wong only $100,000 in surplus value). In a trade for Flexen the Red Sox might need to bring in a third club although the Mariners could look to replenish a farm system depleted by the graduation and trades of former top prospects.

Would anyone prefer a trade for Seattle righthander Chris Flexen at a 2023 salary of $8 million over a multiyear contract for Jameson Taillon at an AAV of $12 million (or the $14 million projected at MLB Trade Rumors)? Compare the stats over the past two seasons for righthanders Taillon, Taijuan Walker and Flexen: JT 321.2 IP, 4.08 ERA, 100 ERA+, 4.2 fWAR, 3.5 bWAR TW 316.2 IP, 3.98 ERA, 99 ERA+, 3.9 fWAR, 3.1 bWAR CF 317.2 IP, 3.66 ERA, 108 ERA+, 3.7 fWAR, 4.7 bWAR The Seattle Mariners reportedly are shopping Flexen, who is two years younger than Walker and two-and-a-half years younger than Taillon. Flexen lost some luster in August when Luis Castillo bumped Flexen from the Seattle rotation. Despite the demotion Flexen matched Taillon’s 2022 bWAR of 1.3. Many will point to Flexen’s drop in fWAR from 3.0 in 2021 to 0.7 in 2022. However, Walker has never posted an fWAR above 2.5 and Taillon has not exceeded 2.3 fWAR since 2018. MLB Trade Rumors projects Taillon and Walker with four-year contracts in free agency, Taillon at $56 million and Walker at $52 million. Flexen is guaranteed a 2023 salary of $8 million in what MLB Trade Rumors reports is his final year of team control (despite Flexen currently sitting on two years and 107 days of MLB service).

One commentator thinks the Seattle Mariners might have the 22nd, 29th and 30th picks of the June 2023 draft: https://www.marinertalk.com/download/file.php?id=6705&mode=view The latter two picks would be tradeable.

The Seattle Mariners signed righthander Trevor Gott to an MLB contract after the Milwaukee Brewers cut the 30-year-old reliever who posted negative WAR in 2022 and for his career.

The first-ever MLB Draft lottery will take place on Tuesday, December 6, at the Winter Meetings in San Diego. 2023 MLB Draft order WWW.MLB.COM The order for the first 18 picks in the 2023 MLB Draft won't be determined until the first-ever Draft lottery, which will take place on Tuesday, December 6, at the Winter Meetings in San Diego. But the rest of the first round has fallen into place. Teams picked in reverse FWIW the Seattle Mariners are likely to have the No. 22 and No. 29 picks, the only franchise with two selections in the Top 30. Under the new CBA, Seattle received a bonus draft pick at the end of the first round when Julio Rodriguez was named AL Rookie of the Year after being rostered since Opening Day.

Thank you for the clarification.

In the last five seasons the Red Sox have finished first, second, third and twice in last place.

The mystery is how Baseball Trade Values assigns a value of $5.9 million for Jarren Duran with a projected 2023 wRC+ of 93 while assigning a value of $3 million to Taylor Trammell, a plus defender who is a year younger than Duran and who is projected with a 2023 wRC+ of 101. However, Duran has six years of team control and Trammell only five. Duran would fall behind Trammell, Jesse Winker, Jarred Kelenic and Cade Marlowe on Seattle's current depth chart of lefthand-hitting outfielders.

The Red Sox have traded for infielder Hoy Park, who has a career OPS+ of 74 in 210 MLB plate appearances as the South Korea native approaches his 27th birthday in April: