David Schoenfield hands out grades as the Houston Astros acquire RHPs Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero from the Seattle Mariners for 3B Abraham Toro and RHP Joe Smith.
Astros: A
The Astros arguably have the best lineup in the majors, leading all teams in runs per game. They have one of the best rotations (second to the White Sox in the AL in ERA and second to the A's in the majors in innings pitched). They have an elite closer in Ryan Pressly (1.50 ERA, 54 K's, 7 BB, 2 HR in 42 IP). What they've lacked is bullpen depth. Their second-best reliever has been Cristian Javier, a starter by trade but pushed to the bullpen due to the depth of the rotation.
Now they add one of the best relievers of 2021 in Graveman, who has a 0.82 ERA in 33 innings while holding batters to a .136 average (he missed nearly a month while on the COVID-19 injured list). Graveman used to be a ground ball specialist when he was a starter for the A's, but he now averages 96.5 mph with a sinker that he throws more than 60% of the time and locates on the corners as well as up and down in the strike zone. He has been tough to hit all season and has been the key to the super-clutch Mariners bullpen -- sometimes closing, sometimes pitching in the eighth inning. He'll take over the eighth-inning inning for the Astros, allowing Dusty Baker to move away from the likes of Brooks Raley and Ryne Stanek in high-leverage situations. Looking ahead to October, the bullpen might not be a strength with Pressly, Graveman, Javier, plus whichever extra starter gets moved into relief -- not to mention all the additional days off that create more rest.
I thought the Astros might go for Craig Kimbrel, but adding Graveman keeps them under the luxury tax and gives them an excellent bullpen arm anyway. I thought they were the best team in the AL before the trade, and this reinforces that belief.
Mariners grade: D+
Coming off their biggest win of the season, when the Mariners rallied from a 7-0 deficit on Monday to beat the Astros on Dylan Moore's grand slam in the eighth inning, this has to feel like an absolute gut punch in the clubhouse. Indeed, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweeted that, "Sources said the news of Graveman being traded to the Astros did not go over well in the Mariners clubhouse."
I get that Jerry Dipoto is selling high on Graveman, who is eligible for free agency after the season, but what about not selling out your team when it has clawed one game behind the A's in the wild-card race? For a franchise that hasn't made the playoffs since 2001? Let alone to help a division rival ... right when you're in the middle of a big series against them (and have 11 more games left against them).
Forget the Montero and Smith part of the trade. Both have been terrible this year. This deal is Graveman for Toro. The 24-year-old Toro isn't without talent, and scouts have always liked his swing and solid contact skills, but in 308 plate appearances in the majors over parts of three seasons, he has hit .193. He has been a little better in 2021 filling in for the injured Alex Bregman, hitting .211/.287/.385, but that hardly gets you juiced up if you're a Mariners fan and Seattle is clearly betting on potential as opposed to what he gas done at the major league level. Toro did hit .352/.485/.593 in 17 games at Triple-A this season, with more walks than strikeouts, and hit .324 in the minors in 2019, so you can see why the Mariners like him.
The Mariners might try him out at second base right now -- they're 28th in the majors in OPS at the position -- and he could receive first crack at replacing Kyle Seager at third base in 2022 if the Mariners don't exercise a $15 million club option on Seager. Does it make the Mariners better in 2021? Probably not, as the loss of Gravemen hurts. We'll see if it helps in the future.
Dipoto's trade history is shaky at best -- yes, he did well in dumping Robinson Cano's salary for Jarred Kelenic, but he has also been a poor judge of talent in trades, both internal (trading away Chris Taylor, Ryan Yarbrough and Freddy Peralta for nothing) and external (bringing in ... well, Rafael Montero to be his closer). Maybe he's due to win one. But the timing on this deal is absolutely brutal.