Should the Mariners Sign Murakami or Okamoto?

Should the Mariners Sign Murakami or Okamoto?

With the Mariners still looking to shore up their offense, could they turn to one of the Japanese infielders in this year’s signing class? Mudaka Murakami’s signing date is coming up quickly and so is Kazuma Akamoto’s. Joe and I are going to talk about that. We’ll give you guys our FanDuel favorites before we talk about a trade potentially for Nicoer and what it may take to land the Gold Glove second baseman and then we’re going to expand that trade into something a little bit bigger. Thank you guys so much for watching episode 259 of the Hitittit Here podcast part of the Believe Network and presented by FanDuel. And this is the Die Hard is not a Christmas movie episode of the podcast. That is a firm stance I have. Die Hard not a Christmas movie. Joe, how do we feel about that? >> I believe Die Hard to be a Christmas movie and I know I’m never going to sway you on that front and so I’m just going to leave it at that. We don’t need to have this discussion unless you really want to hash it out cuz like >> No, it’s fine. We could we’ll talk about it on the stream on Saturday, which by the way, we’re doing a charity stream on Saturday for the hunger intervention program. Make sure to stop in between 12 and 6, right? 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Stop in on either our channel or the Raise the Trident channel where we are doing that podcast. And you know what? I will or that stream and I will ask then >> and we will hash it out then. Okay. If Die Hard is a Christmas movie with Jake. Yeah, we can we can do that then. Um I don’t have a good segue now into Munasaka Murakami or Kazuma Akamoto, but Colton, do you do you think that the Mariners are involved? Like would do you think that they’re interested in either of these guys? Like the signing date is really rapidly approaching for Makami. December 22nd, Monday for those count, you know, taking notes at home. I’m pretty sure that’s what that day is. Yeah, Monday he’s got to sign quick and like there hasn’t been really any rumblings. I think it it was very I think quick fast early on in the off seasonason like a bunch of you know bunch of information all at once and then no other rumblings for Murakami. And sure there’s some obvious fits like you could I think you could look at the Yankees as an obvious fit. Uh, I think you could look maybe even like the Red Sox is an obvious fit with Alex Bregman. Like there are teams that are in need of a third base, first base DH type at that high caliber mark because Mirkami, he’s the younger of the two. I think he is the higher ceiling of the two, whereas Okamoto is probably the lower floor. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to be mad if the Mariners happen to sign Munataka Murakami. I think it’d be a very exciting move. Uh, it would definitely signal to me that they would be wanting to go kind of like go in, go all in, go out and try and put together whatever they think is the best team to win the World Series in 2026. I mean, his last season, yeah, was only 56 games, but at age 25 in the MPB, a 211 WRC plus for Makami. I mean, like just a 663 slugging percentage, like unreal power output. And that’s the tale of the tape of him is he’s got game power, raw power. It’s all just next level elite kind of stuff. But the swing and miss is definitely something that I think probably is holding his market back and why maybe he hasn’t already signed. And quite frankly, I think the Mars are probably I I would lean Okamoto in the sense that I think that they need more strength from the right-handed side of the plate. Granted, his profile maybe it doesn’t fit as well in T-Mobile as Maramies could because he could hit one into the to, you know, to the windows that hit it here cafe probably every single at bat if he really wanted to. But with the way that the M’s roster is currently constructed, I’m leaning towards also with what he would probably cost Okamoto them being in favor of Okamoto to Murakami for this specific iteration if they do decide to go to the free agent route if they don’t end up making a trade for someone in the infield. Yeah, I mean you mentioned the cost there and I think that’s the biggest inhibitor for the Mariners to really be in on Murakami. He’s projected to secure an eight-year $180 million deal. Brings him out to what $22.5 million a year. Whereas Kazuma Okamoto is projected to get a 4-year $64 million deal which puts him at about 16.5. either guy kind of I don’t want to say they kind of like are the the last big thing you do this off season cuz they’re obviously certainly other options but just in terms of the money they’re making that kind of eats up the rest of the Mariners budget of from what we assume it is from what we assume that it could be now there’s been rumblings from like Ryan Divish that it could be a little bit more than that like potentially closer to like 170 million but in the end we’re not going to know until opening day comes around I think that Okamoto they both feel a very similar role. Okamoto, right-handed hitter. He can play third base and first base for you. He they have him listed as also being able to uh be an outfielder. No. Um in 2025, in 77 games, Okamoto hit 322, 411, 581 with a 99 OPS. He hit 15 home runs as well. He only played in 77 games compared to Murakami who only ended up playing in 69 nice games. He hit Murakami hit 286 392 659 with a 1.051 OPS. He hit 24 home runs. So both guys do are coming off of some injury risk from 2025, but prior to that both guys were players that have been able to play most of the games. I don’t exactly know how long the season is in Japan, but it looks like they’re playing 140ish games a year between the two of them each. So, I think that Okamoto, just in terms of, like you mentioned, the price range, the shorter term commitment, I think that those things are probably going to be more up the Mariners’s alley right now because frankly, they don’t want to take away opportunities from their young guys. And if they sign Murakami, then maybe he’s more of a DH and like whatever, who cares, right? Ben Williamson’s still playing third base. If you sign Okamoto, I think that you maybe aren’t really looking at him as a DH, more so as a guy playing third base for you. and obviously backup first baseman to Josh Naylor. But overall, I think the Okamoto does make the most sense. He just kind of fits the the mold a little bit in terms of his strikeout percentage, controlling the zone, and he’s a right-handed bat. But the profile for Munitaka Murakami, I mean, you can’t ignore how good he is from the left side of the plate. Now, that would, like you mentioned, cause a lot of problems throughout the lineup. you’re going to have a bunch of lefties back to back at some point, which you know, it’s just the way it’s going to work out. >> And but can Aamoto hit? We’ve seen plenty of right-handed hitters come to T-Mo Park and struggle. Can Aamoto hit in Seattle? It’s already hard for guys to come over and hit in the big leagues from, you know, the MPB. Is it going to be even more difficult to come and hit in Seattle? It very well might be. I would assume the Mariners are casting a net out on both of these guys to see just kind of test the waters, but I think if either of them ends up being a Seattle Mariner, it will be Kazuma Okamoto. We’re so far into the MLB offseason that there’s no way that they haven’t done their due diligence on both of these guys at this point. And I will say the contract projections from trade rumors like 8 years 180 for Marami, six or four years 64 for Okamoto, those are just predictions from MLB Trade Rumors writers. Like they’re not gospel. I don’t think Makami is getting 180 million. I think if he got offered that contract already, he would have signed it. >> Yeah. >> I think if Okamoto got over 60 million offered to him, he might have already signed it as well. like looking at that there there’s just such a variance cuz I don’t know what the market is right now. But I I went back and looked at Jung Hu Lee who signed a 7-year like $13 million contract with the Giants which was double his value that they expected him to sign. Trade Rumors had him at 5 years 50 million or four years 50 million. I don’t remember which one it was. Five years 50 million. So, it’s like there’s a volatility here that like maybe Merkami gets 200 million, maybe Okamoto gets 75. Like, I really don’t know. But the fact that neither of them have signed tells me that I think that the market is not developing to where the trade rumors projections probably had them at if I’m being honest. But again, that is just like kind of like my novice opinion on where those numbers might land. And they do make sense. Like Merkcomi is younger, has more like a higher ceiling. Okamoto, he’s 29. He’s going to be 30 in the middle of the season. I think for the Mars too, he provides more of like a bridge, like another it’s it’s it’s a longer bridge. It’s a pretty big bridge. I don’t know what the longest bridge in the world is, but I wouldn’t say four years is the longest bridge in the world. If you sign Aam to a four-year deal, like then Ben Williamson could play third base in 2027 or it could be Cole Emerson or if Cole Demer’s playing shortstop. Like I think the shorter deal provides you more flexibility obviously long term because you’re not locking yourself into you know certain players that may or may not pan out. And I really don’t I don’t know if the mayors want to use, you know, the part of the remaining budget, whatever it may be, on either of these guys. But again, it it would seem to me that the one that wouldn’t take up the remainder of your budget and probably have you go overboard of that budget is the likelier option in Okamoto. And I think it’s probably been that the entire time. Like >> there there are a handful of lanes or I guess like paths that the Mars could take. Like Josh Naylor was an obvious slam dunk. If you had to tell the Mars you can only pick one of three Japanese players to sign this, you know, off season between Murakami, Okamoto, and Tatsuya Imi, they’re picking Aamoto. Like it just feels like of the options available to us like though like Okamoto seems like the most likely one. And there you can take that and translate it to other aspects of the Mars offseason, not just this year, but in previous offseasons or even deadlines where yeah, the obvious thing the Mars to do right now after missing out on Jorge Palano is to trade for Brendan Donovan, but also maybe revisit some, you know, the the Ghost of Girlfriend past, the the the the spirits of what what’s the Christmas one? Ghosts of Christmas past because we’re at Christmas. Yeah. Just making sure. >> That makes >> just making sure. Don’t screw Don’t be all Scrooge over there, pal. Don’t Don’t give me those Don’t give me those looks. I’m freeballing over here. I don’t I don’t want to I don’t want any of the Whoa. I don’t >> needs No one Nobody needs to know that. >> No, just like, you know, going off the going off the cuff. We’re We’re just flying by the seat of our pants. >> Not like that kind of free ball. What’s wrong with you? >> For sure. Listen, I know where you were going to segment. because they can like, you know, circle back on like a guy like Nico who they talked about being linked to in previous offseasons. Like it seems like a way that sure they’re not linked to him right now, but I would bet money that the Mariners, if they miss out on Brendan Donovan, would circle back and be interested in Nico. But quickly, a word from FanDuel. Thank you to FanDuel for being a sponsor for the Hit It Here podcast. right now over on FanDuel. The first baseball prop that’s not, you know, the winner of a division or the World Series or a pennant. The first player prop has shown up over on FanDuel. Pete Alonzo home runs. The line is set at 37 and a half. Taking the over or the under can be your first MLB season long bet if you haven’t already put one in for World Series winner or pennant winner. Remember, you can bet $5, you can get $150 in bonus bets if you win right now over on the FanDuel sports book. Remember to gamble responsibly. And back to the podcast. Now, Joe, I really do wish that it was possible for you to bet that money on the Mariners checking in on Nico because I think it does make some sense. He really does fit the bill that the Mariners are looking for. And on top of it all, he only has one year left on his contract, which I think is is something that the Mariners see and are like, “Yeah, that kind of fits our timeline a little bit.” Nico her is coming off the best year of his career. He put up a 6.2 B this year. He hit 297, 345, 394. Good for a 114 OPS plus. He stole 29 bags. He hit seven homers. He’s not a big power guy, but he also played gold glove defense. He was MVP1 19 for what that’s worth. >> He is again on a one-year contract worth $12 million. Now, >> I don’t I assume that the that the Cubs don’t want to trade him because why would they? They’re still in it, right? Yeah. But if they come away with like an Alex Bregman or even an Auheno Suarez to a to a lesser extent, Matt Shaw has been their third baseman. He could slide over to second base where maybe his offensive profile isn’t going to be as critiqued if he doesn’t if he doesn’t, you know, hit for a lot of power or just perform in general. Second base, obviously, you can kind of get away with that a little bit more. and then they could move off of Nicoer and that $12 million to go spend that elsewhere. Now, I don’t think that $12 million for a player of his caliber is really all that inhibiting for them to be honest with you. Um, I think that he Nico her makes sense for a lot of teams and he could probably go play shortstop again if if a team needed him to. So, that’s an option for teams that are also missing a short stop. The cost for her would be, we talked about this a little bit before, less than Brandon Donovan, but more than Brandon Laauo. Lao, last year of his deal, plenty of concerns with his, you know, profile, whatnot. Brendan Donovan is making half of what um Nicoer is, and he has an extra year of control. That’s the only reason why I think Donovan would be a little bit more expensive because frankly, I think that Nicoer overall is the better player between him and Brandon Donovan. But Donovan at half the price with an extra year of control, I think would end up costing more in prospect capital and in trade talks as a whole compared to Nicoer. Now, what are the Cubs looking for in a deal for Nicoer? I’m not really sure. We’ll talk about that here in our third segment, but overall, if the Mariners aren’t checking in on Nicoer, I would say that’s frankly malpractice. Yeah, they it’s hard to overlook a guy that is consistently putting up basically four and a half to five wins at second base. You’re saying playing gold glove defense, I mean the strikeout percentage this year was his lowest of of his career, 7.6%. Like it’s always been well below league average in like the teens, but at 7.6% this year. I mean, that’s an unreal year from Nicoer in 2025. And it just feels though that if the Mariners aren’t checking in and again like you said the Cubs don’t necessarily need to trade him but if there comes a it was reported last week that Nico’s drawing trade interest. Oh, shocking fork found in kitchen. Good player getting trade interest kind of a situation. And it stems from like you mentioned Matt Shaw moving over to second base if they were interested in Bregman. But there also had interest in Audio Suarez where that too I think provides them the flexibility to bring Gino in at third and be able to move Matt Shaw to second. They also don’t have to even in the sense where they bring in Gino trade Niko Horner because they could just have Gino DH and it gets a little little fuzzy there. But if the Cubs are wanting to like retool and maybe bolster their outfield because they’re likely losing Kyle Tucker like their team does have some glaring holes where like yes they have Ian Hap very consistent. They have PCA out in center but their right fielder yes it’s Seas Suzuki but is he a right fielder or is he more of a DH? What are they going to do with Bisteros at that point if he’s not dhing? Like, is he catching? Is he playing first base? Like, okay, they have Michael Bush. Like, there’s a lot of weird moving parts for the Cubs that I don’t know where they what direction makes the most sense for them to head in, but their starting rotation, yes, Matthew Boyd had a great year last year. Kade Horton’s a great rookie. They brought back on the >> what is that called? >> Qualifying offer. almost called a franchise tag, dude. Holy hell. >> Whoa. >> Whoa. >> What sport are we are we watching? >> Whoa. And like sure, Tyion’s been consistent, but like I think that they would want to upgrade there. Like the bullpen could always use some some some work, but they just brought in Hobie Milner. Like, and they brought in Faton. Like, it’s just it’s it’s interesting to think about what the Cubs would want. And from the Mars perspective, again, it was reported last week that trade interest was being drawn to Nikico Horn. It’s not even reported the mayors are are involved in these conversations. The main thing is the fact that it’s the Giants. Um Susan Cleser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that they have checked in on Nicoer of the Cubs and it’s like if the Giants who are also in the bidding war for Brendan Donovan and also Catel Marte. It’s like the Mariners should find themselves in that same conversation as well. If the Mariners don’t ever want to match the offer that the Cardinals seemingly have like the the bounty put on Brendan Donovan, you could, I think, get Nicoer for a more digestible price. Yes, it is one year, but again, it lines up with the Mariners timeline. Also, if JP Crawford like regresses defensively tremendously so, or like he gets hurt, you can slide Nico to short and you don’t have to worry about it. I don’t think like there’s a lot of versatility I think Nico provides to the middle of the infield, but that’s where his versatility kind of halts. Whereas Donovan, he provides infield, you know, at a corner and up the middle and also can play the outfield. So like they’re two very interesting players that both like the Mariners should both be interested in. And it goes without question that they would make the team better in 2026. I really think that if they can get their hands on Nico her, I mean, they should have done it last year at this point, but if they can get their hands on Nico Her going into 2026, sure it could be a guy that he’s he’s going to come in and have his worst year of his career. His worst year is like we’re looking at since, you know, breaking onto the scene. Like a a g a season where he plays more than a hundred games. Like his worst season could be like a two and a half win season with how good a defense he plays and how well he runs the bases and how often he gets on or how little he strikes out. Like the walk rate’s not great, but his average I think makes up for it. I mean he hit 290 last year. He averages around like 275 280. Like Nicoer is such a good fit, but in the same vein so is Brendon Donovan. So, it’s like they’re kind of like birds of a feather, but they’re just kind of opposite wings since one hits left-handed, one hits right-handed. You like that metaphor, too? >> I love them. I love that. That’s another good one. >> That’s another good one. Add it to the, you know, we got the the filibusters at the beginning. We got the random metaphors that really don’t make any sense in the middle. Like listen, this is what you guys this is what you all listen for and I and I know that. But >> Colton, you hinted at unless you want to talk more specifically about Nico, >> a potential larger trade. And this is something you tried to do with the Cardinals with Wilson Contrarus. That was like a little like I think this one I could have a bit more legs where this is a larger trade. It’s not like so big that it’s going to be like like I think the Cardinals trade is a little bit larger in terms of because there’s a lot more control involved. Both players are free agents after 2026 >> and Nicoer and you are helping free up a little bit of the stop gap with some of their positional flexibility by also acquiring Sei Suzuki, >> right? >> And do you have a trade package lined up? >> I don’t have a full package, but I do have the start of set package. >> Okay. So something that we can we can kind of build upon >> we can talk about. So I think that it’s important to note here that I truly don’t think that the Cubs are going to decide on moving Nico or even Seiya until they know what’s happening at like third base if they get Alex Bregman or if they get a Yuano Suarez. I think that that will be plan A for them and then they’ll be like okay now we need to move some stuff around. So that could take a little while, which actually may work into the Mariners’s hands because on January 1st, Luis Castillo’s no trade clause is up. And we know last year there were talks about Castillo for Nicoer. Now, I know the Mariners have really no desire to split up the starting rotation. With that being said, Luis is making $24 million a year. He’s got a couple of years of control left. You mentioned they’re looking for upgrades to their rotation. If you were to acquire both Seya Suzuki and Nicoer, you’re taking on $31 million, which is far and away above where the Mariners will feel comfortable in that regard. They’re they’re about $10 million over where they’d probably be comfortable at. getting that $24 million off the books. Not only does that help the Cubs save a little bit of money, it helps you save a little bit of money over the next couple of years and you get a guy that can DH for you and a second baseman in the process where Ben Williamson can still be your third baseman. You can still have, you know, Cole Young play every once in a while. He actually could be a part of this deal, but Luis Castillo, I think, makes some sense. I could also see the Cubs being interested in someone like Victor Roblace. Obviously coming off of an injury last year. Right fielder plays good defense. He’s obviously going to be nowhere near the Cody Bellingers and the Kyle Tuckers of the world that the Cubs fans have become used to over the past few years. But if they were if they were interested in someone like Victor or Dominic Canzone, I think that could make some sense. Again, the the Cubs and and Cardinals package is going to be so much different because the Cardinals aren’t really looking to contend in 2026. They’ll say they are, but they’re really not. It’s going to be a few years away for them until they get back into contention. Whereas the Cubs have a pretty good chance to win that division. And so, if you’re the Cubs, you’re looking for major league help. And I think starting that package with Luis Castillo, adding in one of your right fielders in Dom can zone or preferably Victor simply because you could really put say in right field if you have to versus left-handed pitching. >> Um I think it makes a lot of sense and in terms of what the Cubs want back, I wouldn’t be shocked if they also wanted another pitcher in that deal, whether that be Emerson Hancock or Logan Evans. Sure, you can figure it out if you’re the Mariners and then turn around and sign a number five or just roll with Hancock or Evans. Either way, as your number five, I wouldn’t love it, but you sign one of those guys to a one-year deal. All of a sudden, you you find yourself, you know, with a better offensive club. And on the pitching side of things, I mean, we listen, I love Luis. He was fantastic this year. Everyone knows he’s regressing slowly. He’s still very much worth the money that he’s making, but you know, how long can you It feels like it could be a ticking time bomb. Now, he was had a rough go of it on the road last year. Like there there’s plenty of things about Luis that maybe don’t fit the bill for the Cubs, which I could see them saying, “No, we don’t want him. We want George Kirby or something like that.” In which case for the Mariners, you probably say no to that because Kirby’s still cost controlled. So, a lot of moving parts in a deal like that. But I think that like you mentioned that’s a trade package that would be a little bit more um palatable. Palatable. Is that a word? >> Palatable. Yeah. >> Palatable, you know, to uh to make than say a Brennan Donovan trade. >> Yeah. With what it would cost, it wouldn’t be as much because the Brennan Donovan and the Wilson Contrarus like you have Donovan two years. Contras I think is like for another three or maybe it was just another two. Like there’s just more club control involved on the Cardinals trade. I’m looking at the Cubs top prospects and there are two outfielders. Not to say that the Cubs need to give right field to their top prospect Owen Casey and then their number five prospect Kevin Alcantara or Alcantra. Does I don’t know which way to actually pronounce it. It goes both ways sometimes. They’re both MLB ready. One is hits left-handed, the other hits right-handed. Not to say that you’re Victor Roblace or Dom Kenzone Lug like you know the a fourth outfielder type doesn’t necessarily make sense going back to the Cubs because who’s to say either of them are actually MLB ready like they could struggle they need to get sent down work more in the minors and that’s where the fourth outfielder kind of becomes prevalent but looking at like the roster makeup for the Cubs I feel like when you have two top five guys who are ready like it’s not a necessarily a bad thing to try and give them some leeway when you have a good core around them to allow them to not have to have the entire organization on their shoulders at that point. So, it’s not a bad fallback option for them to maybe be interested in a reliever, but to me, it really does seem like they are more so in the pitching market for what that they for what they would want. Like Kate Horton, it like yes, he had a great year. There’s not really anyone else coming through the pipeline as far as pitching is concerned. There’s a guy named Jackson Wiggins. Sure, he’s their number three prospect. Pitched well in double A last year, 193 RA in 42 innings, but didn’t pitch well in his two or in his three starts in AAA. But like it’s minor league stuff. I don’t know how much value there really is in the the AAA stats for the Cubs. Whereas like we know the Mariners like PCL is the PCL. Like it’s >> you don’t really like value that. So, is that 193 in DoubleA as valuable as it maybe could be if say that was in Arkansas? Maybe. I I’m not entirely sure. I do think it would Castillo’s a tough fit. I think >> Mhm. >> because if you’re the Mariners, you certainly free up money by, you know, get you don’t free up money, you take on, I guess, seven million more. But like taking on $7 million for getting Nicoer and say a Suzuki, it’s not bad. And then you can go around like you said and sign a number five in free agency where the Mariners can sign pitching. Like that’s not surpris like we know that they can sign pitching because the home road splits speak for themselves. Whatever you you know whatever you’d offer to a number five for a single year until Sloan Sja Anderson or whatever come up like that number five could be replaced by Kate Anderson at the end of next year >> and I wouldn’t be surprised. >> So like that from the marriage front is definitely worth it. It depends on like what kind of MLB ready talent you have to kind to trade as well along with a Castillo because like you said the Cubs are going to be competing like they’re going to be contending. They could win the division. They could be a deep threat in the National League against the Dodgers against the you know the like you know the usual suspects in the National League. So, they’re not going to want prospects. Whereas the C like where you’re looking at the Cardinals, like yeah, that team probably wants it’ll be adjacent prospects, but prospects nonetheless. You’re not trading Lazaro Montes or Dangelo Sanger in this deal. You could, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense for what the Cubs likely would be asking for. Is it more so like would you trade like a Bryce Miller >> in this situation? like like as like ranking your Mariners pitchers by value just assuming the starting five like you you like I don’t think does Evans have more value than Castillo I don’t think so right so it’s like you it’s Brian Woo it’s Logan Gilbert I think or I think one and two is third is it Kirby or is it Miller >> honestly I say Miller >> Miller Kirby Castillo because I think Castillo has the least amount of value just because cost control he’s old it’s like I think that’s like a pretty safe conversation. >> Okay. So, Miller’s your third most value. So, like if they asked for Kirby, like you said, the Mariners probably say no, >> right? >> In your in your opinion, >> but I’d consider it because I if if the Mariners were to trade Kirby, like listen, >> how much more do you have to trade like in that, >> right? You shouldn’t have to trade really anything more. Like, you know, maybe maybe like another tertiary piece, but that’s just how much more valuable George Kirby is than Luis Castillo. But again, we all agree that there’s probably a good chance George Kirby is gone in two years. >> Like if that’s the case, when is his value going to be higher than right now? Like obviously coming off of a rough season. So if you can and you’re of course you’re only getting one year from both of those guys that you’re getting, but >> you know, it it’s tough. It’s really tough because the the most obvious trade candidate is Luis Castillo, but he also, like you just mentioned, has the least value. So, it it’s a bit of a double-edged sword in that in that regard. >> Yeah. With trading Castillo, you have to add more and maybe not like a significant amount, but it because Nico and Seasuki are both like very quality MLB talent. Like, Seiya puts up a 125 WRC plus year in and year out. Yeah, it’s suspect defense. You don’t want him playing in right field. Do I think he would fare better in T-Mobile right field than in the windiest city in Wrigley? Like, yeah, he’d probably fare a little bit better out there in T-Mobile. Would I trust him? Not much. But I >> Not as much as you trust Dominic Kzone. >> No, I’d trust Dominic Kenzone more than Sea Suzuki. Oh, yeah. I would trust I trust like maybe maybe twice as much. Like genuinely. >> Wow. >> Yeah. >> Okay. I say is a bad defender, dude. >> Yeah, he is. >> But could he survive out there in right field for 20ish 30-ish games? Probably. And you know, it’s not going to be the end of the world. Like is he worse? He’s worse than Oscar Hernandez, I think. >> Yeah. >> You know what I mean? And like is Teao worse than Dominic Kzone? >> Like maybe. It’s hard to say, but I I’m sure there’s data. There’s actual analytics that would say like, h, that’s actually Dom’s like not that bad or Dom is this bad, but I’m not going to be bothered to look. It’s the eye test. And Dom makes some funky looking plays. He makes them work sometimes, but he makes some funky looking plays. So, it’s a circle back. One year control for both for Nico and Seiya. Yes. That typically it there are two rentals. It’s like what the Mariners got for Gino and Naylor at the deadline. Yeah, it’s a half season compared to a full season, but like they traded seemingly not a lot, at least what it feels like right now. If you were to say equate that to the C, like how do you equate that to what you trade to the Cubs? Like is Castillo going and like what else goes with him? Like I think like you mentioned the the fourth outfielder kind of situation does make sense. Like do they want a bullpen piece as well like you said Evans or Hancock could potentially go? I don’t know how much more you have to add. I think if the Mars like say sent $10 million with Castillo, I think like Castillo and the outfielder and 10 million is like fine. >> Yeah. >> Like truthfully. And I I could be very biased in this situation. I could be very Mariners pilled because duh I Hello, we’re here Mariners YouTube channel. But that’s hard to say cuz like I don’t know like what the Giants are, you know, having these conversations with Nico about as far as like what that value is, >> right? Yeah, it’s a tough situation. I mean there we’re not the way this normally works with the Mariners is it’s going to be uh some deal that catches us really offguard. That’s just the way these things work. Like >> I think that the the deal that got for example Randy Rosena to the Mariners, that was a deal that we were like, “Oh, okay. That makes sense.” you know, you’re trading Brody Hopkins and Aiden Smith, which obviously now they’re top 10 in the Rays system. Not a great system with the Rays, but nonetheless, but it’s so much more difficult because with the Cubs, they’re tangible pieces. These are players you’ve seen perform at the big league level and some good, some bad, right? Victor Rob has had a lot more bad years than he has good. So, it’s probably easy to say that 2024 was more of a flash in the pan than the new normal for Victor Victor Roblace at that point. Then maybe you trade Dominic can zone. And I think that I think they would I think as if you’re the Cubs, you’re okay with that. And for the Mariners, your platoon is now Luke and Victor Roace. It’s fine. It’s not great. And if you need but if you need to upgrade, do it at the trade deadline. That’s where the Mariners make their money is at the trade deadline. This trade would cost the Mariners quite a bit, but I think it would be, like you mentioned, cheaper than Donovan and could open up some other avenues for some other moves. But let us know in the comments down below if you guys think the Mariners can make this trade. We appreciate you guys watching episode 259 of the Hit It Here podcast presented by FanDuel and go Mariners.

If the Mariners do not end up pulling the trigger on Brendan Donovan where else could they set their sights this offseason? NPB stars Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami remain options, along with Nico Hoerner of the Cubs if should become available.

– Okamoto or Murakami? 1:31
– Interest in Hoerner? 11:06
– Big Cubs Trade 19:44

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