Seattle Mariners acquire Dee Gordon from Marlins
The Miami Marlins are set to have a fire sale this winter, and Dee Gordon is the first man out.
As they wait for Giancarlo Stanton to waive his no-trade clause, the new ownership of the Miami Marlins has made their plans to reduce payroll clear. In the first move to so, the Marlins have traded second baseman Dee Gordon to the Seattle Mariners.
Gordon hit .308/.341/.375 with 114 runs scored and a major league-leading 60 stolen bases last season, so he’ll definitely add some speed to Seattle’s lineup. He also won a Gold Glove in 2015. But general manager Jerry Dipoto has not met a trade he didn’t like over the last couple offseasons, and having Robinson Cano entrenched at second base was apparently not a factor in swinging a deal for Gordon.
On that note, the Mariners apparently (and obviously) have a plan for Gordon to switch positions.
Dee Gordon will play CF for the #Mariners, source tells The Athletic, confirming report from @Jim_BowdenSXM.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2017
Coming off a National League batting title in 2015, with a league-leading 205 hits and 58 stolen bases, Gordon signed a five-year $50 million deal with the Marlins in January of 2016. He promptly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in late April, and served an 80-game suspension. So the Marlins are getting some nice salary relief with the trade, while the Mariners are taking on the substantial commitment.
Dee Gordon owed $38.5 million as he moves from Marlins to the Mariners in a trade. Not clear how he'll be used, but he'd be a great super utility candidate. Can do a lot of stuff.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 7, 2017
The #Marlins taking on huge commitment: Gordon is owed $38 million through 2020, but if he has 600 plate appearances in final year, or 1,200 plate appearances in 2019-20, the 2021 option automatically vests for $14 million.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 7, 2017
The Mariners have announced the details of the trade, with three minor leaguers headed to the Marlins for Gordon and $1 million in international signing bonus money.
#Mariners acquire two-time All-Star Dee Gordon and international slot money from Miami in exchange for minor leaguers Robert Dugger, Nick Neidert and Christopher Torres.
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) December 7, 2017
Read: https://t.co/NaAJkGlJRP pic.twitter.com/sfht5DxjpP
In terms of the prospects Miami is getting for Gordon, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale does not see much.
The #Mariners are expected to send only modest minor league prospects back in trade
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 7, 2017
The #Marlins receive RHP Nick Neidert, IF Christopher Torres, and RHP Robert Dugger from #Mariners for 2B Dee Gordon and international signing bonus pool money. Neidert, who spent most of last season in Class A Modest, is considered best of prospects
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 7, 2017
The Mariners three lower-tier prospects suggests the Marlins are not picking up any of the money left on Gordon’s contract. That’s not too surprising, based on what we’ve seen and heard out of the Derek Jeter-led new ownership to this point.
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The Marlins are no stranger to trading off veteran players to reduce payroll, it’s just that the two previous times they did it was after a World Series win. As for the Mariners, they are now in a little better position as they pursue Shohei Ohtani along with the addition of Gordon.