With the Winter Meetings creeping closer, MLB teams are working hard to improve their rosters.
In this case, the Seattle Mariners completed a trade that has the potential to benefit everyone involved.
The other team, the Milwaukee Brewers, also attacked a position of need.
As usual, ESPN’s Jeff Passan with the details:
“The Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers are finalizing a trade that will send outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Abraham Toro to the Brewers for second baseman Kolten Wong and around $1.75 million in cash, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. It’s at the finish line,” he tweeted.
The Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers are finalizing a trade that will send outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Abraham Toro to the Brewers for second baseman Kolten Wong and around $1.75 million in cash, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. It’s at the finish line.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 2, 2022
As Passan states, the deal is still not quite done, but it’s very, very close to being completed.
Wong is 32, but has been one of the most consistently reliable second basemen in MLB in recent seasons with his combination of offense and good defense.
He posted a .251/.339/.430 line with 15 home runs and 17 stolen bases.
A Steady Performer Who Brings Stability To Seattle
His defense declined a bit, but he still posted 2.5 Wins Above Replacement or WAR.
That’s the same output he had the year before.
The Mariners had to endure a lot of bad production from their second basemen, most notably Adam Frazier.
Now, they are handing that position to an experienced producer who has a nice floor.
As for Winker, he could never adapt to the city and the team, so the Mariners flipped him to the Brewers.
In 2022, he had a disappointing .688 OPS after his .949 brilliant showing in 2021.
He remains a talented performer, and Milwaukee did well to land both him and Toro, the latter for several seasons.
It probably won’t be the last move these teams make before the 2023 campaign, though, so stay tuned.
NEXT: Mariners Fans Await The Next Big Move