According to a report from Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune, Mark Trumbo is 'being shopped hard' by the Seattle Mariners prior to Wednesday's deadline to tender arbitration-eligible players.
Trumbo's estimated worth in his final arbitration year is projected to be $9.1 million. According to the report though, Trumbo is no longer a fit for Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto because of his "quest to build a more athletic, better defensive club."
While Trumbo's defense seems to be his weak point, his bat could certainly be appealing to a team in need. Trumbo's penchant for hitting left-handed pitching especially well could make him an excellent candidate for a platoon situation. That being said, over his career Trumbo has still performed above average against right-handed pitching as well.
What would seem to be most troubling to a general manager trying to make an imprint on his new team would be Trumbo's below-average on-base percentage. His career mark of .300 is well-below major league average and is difficult to rationalize employing, even with 20 or more home runs. His woes were recently discussed on the most recent MLB Daily Dish Rosterbatorical Podcast.
While Dipoto seems to have his deadline set to deal away Trumbo, it could be more difficult than that. With slightly more than 24 hours still on the clock before the deadline, Dipoto may be forced to tender Trumbo and endure the arbitration process. Despite reportedly wanting to get rid of Trumbo, it wouldn't be in Dipoto's best interest to let an asset leave for free.