Padres: 3 likely trade partners for Wil Myers this offseason

Mariners

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The Seattle Mariners also find themselves in a rebuild in a very competitive AL West where they likely won’t contend for the next couple of years at least.

They have a couple of players who could be of interest to the Padres in Mitch Haniger and Dee Gordon.

Haniger would be the ultimate prize here as he’ll turn 29 soon and was an All-Star player in 2018 when he hit .285 with 26 home runs and 93 RBI.

The Mariners were reluctant to trade him last offseason and instead said he could be the cornerstone of their future as he’s under team control through 2022.

But after a disappointing and injury-filled season in 2019, you wonder if that thought has changed.

Gordon has always been a good average hitter with speed, and the $13.8 million he’s owed in 2020 could help offset some of the Myers’ contract.

If the target is Gordon, that could significantly lower the prospect package.

But if the Mariners are willing to part with Haniger, we could see the Padres put together a similar package to what we discussed with the Royals and Orioles.

As with any deal when trying to shed a bad contract, the more money you take on the lesser the prospect return.

In my opinion, the Padres should be willing to part with just about any prospect outside of the top three or four if it means getting rid Myers’ entire contract to sign a frontline starting pitcher.

As you can see, getting rid of Myers’ contract might not be as hard as people imagine. But in a deal like this, you will have to get creative. We’ll see what Preller has up his sleeve this offseason.