The Seattle Mariners just signed Nelson Cruz and they may have more moves to make, as trade rumors have been reported with the M's and the Colorado Rockies and names like Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki, Charlie Blackmon, Drew Stubbs or Corey Dickerson could be targets, as the Mariners also traded away Michael Saunders and now need another outfielder on the roster.
The Mariners just added Nelson Cruz and signed Kyle Seager to an extension and now the team could be working on more moves according to Fox Sports. Jon Morosi writes that the team could look at making a deal at the winter meetings, with names like Matt Kemp, Melky Cabrera and Justin Upton as potential targets. Morosi also adds that the Rockies and the Mariners are well suited for a trade now that the M's have moved Michael Sunders, as they have outfielders that they would be willing to move.
Morosi writes that a deal with Tulowitzki is very unlikely since the team has Chris Taylor and Brad Miller and while Gonzalez is also a target, his contract and injury history makes things tough. But the Mariners need an outfielder and the Rockies have a few and are rebuilding, meaning Dr. Jack Z could get the trade machine spinning again. Everyone agrees that the Mariners need more than Nelson Cruz and adding Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon, Drew Stubbs or Corey Dickerson could be an option for the team.
Fox Sports reports that the Mariners have had previous interest in both Blackmon and Stubbs, although Morosi writes that Blackmon is a very similar player to Dustin Ackley and may not be as a good of a fit. This comes as the Mariners have been connected to many other names and deals, as execs realize they have money to spend and are motivated to do so. The team has been connected to Matt Kemp since last season, but the M's do not want to give up Taijuan Walker to make a deal.
Paying Kemp would be tough since he has five years and $100 million on his deal, but he is just 30 years old and finished last season strong. Kemp is a trade option along with Justin Upton for the Mariners and Seattle once traded for Upton, but he nixed the deal. Cabrera is on the market and the team could sign him over giving up players in a trade, as that would allow them to keep their young pitching while also adding a bat. The Mariners added one PED player already with Cruz, so two might be too much.
Last season the team finished one game out of the wild card race and with Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez in their primes, the time is now to win. The team kept home grown Seager on a massive deal and now they are looking to build and make the playoffs this season. Adding Cruz was big and will help the offense, but the team needs much more moving forward.
