Mariners and Brewers have agreed to a deal that will send a second baseman King Corten From Milwaukee to Seattle in trade for outfielder jessie wink and infielder abraham toro, Report Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. ESPN’s Jeff Passan Add to Brewers sent Mariners about $1.75MM in cash, which effectively makes this a cash neutral swap. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported not long ago that M’s and the Brewers were discussing Wong and Winker in trade talks (Twitter Link). The two clubs then announced the deal, making it official.
The 32-year-old Wong was owed $10 in salary after the Brewers exercised a club option on him after the season. He will be a free agent next winter. Wink, meanwhile, is owed $8.25 through 2023 after signing a two-year deal last year that covered his final arbitration season. Like Wong, he will be a free agent next winter. Toro, on the other hand, is not yet eligible for arbitration and can take control for another four seasons.
Wong is a natural target for the Mariners, given their lack of a clear starter at second base and their desire to add some balance to a right-handed lineup. After two of the best offensive seasons of his career, he’ll give the M a solid presence, likely at the top of the lineup. In his two years as Brewer, Wong hit .262/.337/.439 with 29 homers, 56 doubles, six triples and 29 steals.
With the Brewers, Wong seemed to make a concerted effort to start lifting the ball more often. His ground ball rate was roughly 47 percent in St. Louis, down to a career-low 41.8 percent last season, and Wong has improved significantly in both his line and fly rates, especially as a Brewer members of the division. As one might expect, the increased number of balls in the air also increased Wong’s power output. His .177 ISO (slugging average minus batting average) in two years with the Brewers was significantly higher than the .123 he achieved during part of eight seasons with the Cardinals.
On the defensive end of the game, however, the 2022 season promises to be a bizarre and near-nightmare season for Wong. One of the game’s best defenders at his position, Wong committed a staggering 17 turnovers — more than he had in his previous three seasons combined. When his pick was drafted, Wong told Todd Rossiak of the Milwaukee Sentinel that his legs weren’t fully healthy in 2022, which he believes contributed to his surprising defensive flaws (Twitter Link). Wong was sidelined in June with a calf strain that put him on the disabled list, and it certainly makes sense that his leg cost him some of his typical defensive edge.
It’s a similar story for Wink in 2022, which will now be his only season with the Mariners as injuries have weighed down his performance.get at the same time Eugenio Suarez in the transaction of sending a pitching prospect brandon williamsonoutfielder Jack Fraley and right handed justin dun Back in Cincinnati, Wink (perhaps literally) limped through the weakest offensive season of his career before undergoing left knee surgery and a second treatment for a herniated disc in his neck in October. Operation.
It’s impossible to say how much those injuries have plagued Winkle, but the former Reds slugger went from being one of the game’s best hitters right-handed to going .219/.344/. 344 batting line. 2022.
Winkle’s defense has also suffered; he’s never been known as a good defender in the outfield corner, but his defensive runs (-16), ultimate zone rating (-7.2) and strikeouts in Emerald City are higher than A career-worst record in terms of average (-10). In addition to Wink’s deteriorating performance on the field, the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divesh reported in October on the way Wink fell out of favor with the Seattle club.
The descent is fast and quite breathtaking.In the two seasons before being acquired by the Mariners, Winkle was one of the three top hitters in the game against right-handed pitches, second only to Juan Soto and bryce harper In terms of wRC+. He posted a video game-style .321/.417/.619 batting line in 509 appearances against righties in that span, and while he’s nowhere near that level against lefties, he’s Still hit 12 percent against them, resulting in a .314 OBP. His .199 average and .338 slugging percentage against southpaws are frustrating, but at least, even in unfavorable platoon matchups, Winker hits the bases at near-average speed.
The Brewers’ hope is that the two surgeries and the offseason of rest and rehab will return Wink to the form he was as a member of the division rival Reds. However, only time will tell if Winkle can actually bounce back.
If Winkle can’t return to form, the Brewers can still pin some hope on Toro — another rebounding candidate looking to benefit from a change of scenery.The 25-year-old pitcher (turns 26 later this month) has been one of the top prospects in the Astros system for years, but never got a chance to establish himself for the Houston club Alex Bregman at third base and Jose Altuve Second Base – Toro’s main field.Astros trade Toro and veteran reliever joe smith In a controversial deadline swap with the Mariners, Seattle sent it closer Kendall Graveman and right handed Rafael Montero Return to Houston.
Toro trade has many similarities to what Brewers sent in 2022 Josh Hader to San Diego. As has been the case with Brewers fans this year, Mariners fans — and the clubhouse — saw a contender club traded to another playoff contender, even though the Mariners (Smith, Toro) and Brewers (taylor rogers, Esteli Ruiz, robert gasser) got some immediate MLB help and long-term prospect value in return.
Unfortunately for the Mariners, Toro has been unable to fully cement himself as a fixture in the roster. He exchanged fire with the Mariners immediately after the trade, and even had a memorable go-ahead slam with Graffman himself a month after the trade. However, in the 2022 season, Toro has seen very little playing time and is hitting .185/.239/.324 in 352 games. That said, he’s not far off being a highly regarded rookie, and he’s still in his mid-20s with a career Triple-A batting average of .343/.451/.545, so there’s reason to hope he does to the breakthrough.
Toro does still have a minor league option, so he’ll start the 23 season on the Brewers’ roster, but he’ll head to spring training and compete for time at second or third base.He with Luis Urias There’s plenty of experience at both positions, but the ideal defensive formation is Toro at third base and Urias at second.Of course, it’s possible for the Brewers to further deepen their infield mix this offseason, along with top infield prospects Bristolan After hitting . 286/. 360/. 412 at Triple-A last season, it could also affect the mix at second base early in the season.
In all likelihood, this deal is just one in a series of moves by the two clubs. Even before trading Winker, the Mariners were willing to add another outfield bat, and they can now more clearly accommodate a notable bat in left field or a designated hitter. The Brewers, meanwhile, have so far focused on cutting salary margins and making plays for players they feel they can replace internally (e.g. Wong, hunter renfro).
It’s certainly been a frustrating start to the winter for many Milwaukee fans, but so far the Brewers are only coming off of players they can only manage until 2023. They’ve already shrunk the payroll somewhat by doing so, and the question now is how — or if — they reallocate those dollars. It’s possible they’ll even move Winker to another club instead, but they haven’t shown any signs of a full-scale rebuild, so at some point, it seems likely the Brewers will make some at least modest upgrades to Winker’s roster. .
