Mariners acquire Dee Gordon from Marlins

The Mariners have acquired Dee Gordon and $1 million in international slot money from the Marlins for infielder Christopher Torres and righties Nick Neidert and Robert Dugger, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Seattle is a weird fit for Gordon, to say the least, as the M’s currently have both Robinson Cano and Jean Segura locked into middle-infield spots. A report from MLB Network Radio’s Jim Bowden suggests the Mariners will move Gordon to center-field, where he has never played before. He won a Gold Glove as a second baseman for Miami in 2015 after the club acquired him in an offseason trade with the Dodgers.

Gordon is the first Marlin to be dealt in a winter where many of them likely will be. While Giancarlo Stanton has dominated headlines as the team’s main trade chip, the possibility exists that Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, Martin Prado, Dan Straily and others could follow Gordon out the door as new ownership cleans house in Miami.

Gordon, 29, had a solid bounce-back season for Miami in 2017, hitting .308/.341/.375 with 60 steals in 158 games after missing 80 games due to suspension in 2016. He’s under club control by Seattle through the 2021 season and is owed $38 million in guaranteed money over the next three years before a $14 million club option kicks in for 2021.

The $1 million in slot money will help Seattle’s pursuit of Shohei Ohtani, as two trades in the last 24 hours have increased Seattle’s cap room to $3.55 million, now the most any of Ohtani’s seven finalists can offer him.

Neidert, 21, was Seattle’s second-round pick in the 2015 draft and was recently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the second-best prospect in the organization. He reached as high as Double-A in 2017, posting a strong 10-3 record and 2.76 ERA in 19 starts at Hi-A before struggling to a 6.56 ERA in six starts at Double-A. Neidert projects as a mid-rotation starter in the majors, though Rosenthal spoke to one scout that believes he has a low ceiling and has no breaking ball.

Torres, who turns 20 in February, hit .238/.329/.446 with six homers and 14 steals in 52 games between Rookie ball and Lo-A Everett in 2017. He ended the year ranked as Seattle’s No. 7 prospect and is regarded as a strong defender who has offensive potential as a switch-hitter.

Dugger, 22, was Seattle’s 18th-round pick in 2016 out of Texas Tech. He had an excellent year in the minors in 2017, posting a 2.75 ERA in 117.2 innings split between Single-A Clinton and Hi-A Modesto. He was not ranked among the club’s top 30 prospects.

Today’s trade is by far the most significant trade so far this winter. Keep track of every move with our winter trade tracker.