He’s back – Mariners trade for Mitch Haniger, part of two Friday deals
Amidst an admittedly quiet offseason Friday afternoon, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and the Mariners generated plenty of trade noise.
In separate deals with San Francisco and Tampa Bay, the Mariners netted a pair of corner-outfield bats for their lineup and bolstered pitching depth behind one of the league’s brightest young starting rotations.
“It’s a more complete roster, really, than it was at the beginning of the offseason,” Dipoto believes. “But certainly (more) than it was yesterday.”
WELCOME BACK, MITCH HANIGER
A familiar face will assume the right corner of T-Mobile Park’s outfield once again.
Seattle’s first deal, perhaps the league’s headline deal Friday in a swap of All-Stars, sent lefty starter Robbie Ray to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for outfielder Mitch Haniger and right-hander Anthony DeSclafani.
Haniger signed a three-year contract with the Giants in his home state of California – but after one season in San Francisco, he returns to the Mariners where the 33-year-old bashed 107 home runs, delivered 306 RBI, and notched a 2018 All-Star Appearance across five seasons with the franchise.
“As we continue to build out our team for 2024 and beyond, we feel this trade accomplishes a couple of our objectives,” Dipoto said. “In Mitch, we get a player we know well, and hold in very high regard, as another piece for our outfield, while Anthony – who can start or pitch out of the ‘pen – gives us depth in our pitching staff. And the deal allows us to put the best team possible on the field from Opening Day on.”
Haniger appeared in 530 total games with Seattle, first acquired from Arizona in a Nov. 2016 trade that sent infielder Ketel Marte and pitcher Taijuan Walker to the Diamondbacks. But he quickly became an everyday outfield staple for the Mariners, posting a career-best .285 batting average with 93 RBI in his All-Star season.
In 2021, Haniger directed a late-season playoff push that fell short one year before Seattle ended a 21-year postseason drought. In the regular season’s penultimate game on Oct. 2, he lined a bases-loaded single to left field that plated the go-ahead run and kept Seattle’s playoff aspirations alive for one more day. Haniger went 4-for-5 in that 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels and drove in five runs.
Job unfinished, the outfielder took to The Players Tribune to pen a message to fans soon after: “We lost when it mattered most,” he wrote. “We fell short of our goal — period. And I need every Mariners fan to know that. But I also need them to know something else: This group is going to the playoffs. That’s not an if … it’s a when. And that when is soon.”
He was right.
Now, he returns to fill a vital role in Seattle’s lineup, one that lacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez and outfielder Jarred Kelenic in earlier offseason moves, and the assumed loss of outfielder Teoscar Hernandez in free agency.
“I feel like today is the first time all season that, if we were playing an Opening Day game tomorrow… we feel good about the team that we have,” Dipoto said. “It’s a complete team. There’s experience. There’s upside. There’s youth. I feel like there’s better depth than we’ve had in recent memory, really, from position to position.”
DeSclafani, 33, has appeared for Miami, Cincinnati, and San Francisco across nine major league seasons, owning a career 54-56 record in 180 games (942.2 IP) with a 4.20 ERA.
“(Anthony’s) always been an excellent strike thrower,” Dipoto said to reporters Friday. “He misses bats. He’s got real fastball velocity and carry. I’m excited to see what he can do in our environment. I think it’s a good fit for him.”
Ray won the 2021 AL Cy Young with Toronto before signing a five-year contract with Seattle that offseason that includes an opt-out after 2024. He posted a 3.71 ERA across 189 innings with a team-high 212 strikeouts for the Mariners in 2022, but started only one game for the club in 2023 before the 32-year-old experienced left forearm discomfort two innings into the contest and would require Tommy John surgery.
Ray is targeting a return near the 2024 All-Star break.
“I do want to thank Robbie for his time in Seattle,” Dipoto said in a release. “On the field and in the clubhouse, he was a key part of taking us to the postseason in 2022 and in allowing us to remain in the race down to the final days in 2023. He provided leadership to our young pitchers that will be felt here for years to come. We wish he and his family nothing but the best in San Francisco.”
Haniger and Ray each receive a $1 million assignment bonus for being traded, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
M’S GET RALEY FROM TAMPA BAY
Less than three hours after Seattle officially announced the deal to acquire Haniger and DeSclafani, the Mariners finalized the acquisition of 1B/OF Luke Raley from Tampa Bay in a one-for-one swap for infielder Jose Caballero.
In 118 games for the Rays last season, the 29-year-old Raley posted a .249/.333/.491 slash line with 19 home runs, 49 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. Among American Leaguers with at least 400 plate appearances in 2023, Raley ranked 14th with a 130 wRC+.
Raley split time between first base and outfield for Tampa Bay but should spend the majority of his time in a corner outfield position and against right-handed pitching, per Dipoto.
Caballero, 27, made his major league debut for the Mariners in 2023 and posted a .663 OPS with 26 stolen bases across 104 games as a rookie.
This story was originally published January 5, 2024 at 5:19 PM with the headline "He’s back – Mariners trade for Mitch Haniger, part of two Friday deals."
