The Seattle Mariners have recently announced that they are “deep in sell mode“. Problem is, many of the contracts they are hoping to move are arguably under water. Might they be tempted to trade current assets for salary relief, much as they did when they included Edwin Diaz in a trade package to induce the Mets to take on the contract of Robinson Cano? And if they did, might the Jays be able to take advantage?
First, let’s talk about Mike Leake. He is under contract for 2019 ($16m), 2020 ($15m) and has a 2021 mutual option for $18m with a $5m buyout.