Once Upon a time in San Diego...

By Stevil, August 31st, 2020

AJ Preller 'star struck' on the eve of the deadline after being wooed by Jerry Dipoto

 

By now, everyone has heard the wonderful news: Jerry Dipoto has been courting AJ Preller! First came an ice-breaker, then a magnificent 7-man swap, and finally a one-for-one exchange just before his coach turned back into a pumpkin. No glass shoe was missing, but we'll keep our eyes open for reports of stolen acrylic heels in local area fine-dining establishments. 

 

With that out of the way, let's get to the pheromones that led to such an intimate exchange...

 

Seattle sent Austin Nola, C/INF, Austin Adams, RHP, and Dan Altavilla, RHP, to San Diego under a beautiful, moonlit night for Taylor Trammell, OF, Ty France, 3B/1B, Luis Torrens, C, and Andres Muñoz, RHP on day one. The second date involved Taylor Williams, RHP, apparently for RHP Matt Brash (not official). Jerry went about this kind aggressively and backwards, reaching home first, then second base on the follow-up. But he scored and that's what's important, right? Well, not the way you might think.

 

AJ probably feels like he scored himself. He let the word out that he was open for business and it didn't take long before he was gettin' around Cleveland. But we'll focus on his interactions with Seattle and what was born as a result, as well as what might have been going through Jerry's mind. It all starts with Austin... Nola. For the record, first names had nothing to do with any of this.

 

Though Nola appeared to have made some significant changes in 2018, he really put himself on the map with Seattle in AAA after signing a minor league contract. He never stopped hitting. There are similarities between him then and Torrens now. Could Luis end up being just as good as Austin behind the plate and at it?

Kyle Lewis had a lot of swing & miss in his game and struggled to find consistency after spending the better part of two years rehabilitating. At age 24 in AA he started to get back on track, though his slash line kind of hid his achievements. So far it’s looking like another success story for Seattle’s developmental program. Trammell is younger and has had similar offensive struggles, though without the injury issue. Could Seattle's AA staff help him like they helped Lewis?

JP Crawford and Shed Long, especially Shed Long, had defensive question marks upon their arrivals in Seattle. For what it's worth, they currently rank 4th and 7th respectively in fielding via FanGraphs, and a common link is Perry Hill, the Mariners renown infield coach. Ty France comes to Seattle with similar defensive question marks. Could Perry transform Ty into a decent third baseman?

Andres Muñoz profiles similarly to Edwin Díaz, whom Seattle had gotten the most out of before selling high to New York in the 2019 offseason. How he recovers from TJS remains to be seen, but Seattle has had its success with reliever rejects & rebound projects, including Austin Adams who they sent to San Diego in this package. Could Seattle have their future closer on board and ready for 2022? The plus-plus fastball and plus slider suggest they just might.

Matt Brash is an under-the-radar arm who probably ends up in the bullpen as a long-reliever, but could very well end up making starts if needed. He should probably remain a starter for now, but they may prefer to fast-track him to the majors.

 

Lot of questions, no doubt. But Seattle took on a load of projects in areas of development where they’ve had significant success already. This could prove to be a lopsided deal if they’re able to do the same with these guys.

That said, Austin Nola has been the real deal. He's one of the best catchers in the game right now and nobody should sleep on Austin Adams, either. He was dominant for Seattle before hitting the IL. There’s certainly an argument that San Diego did well for the time being. There are positives here for both organizations and if San Diego didn’t think they were able to develop Trammell, this deal should make even more sense from their angle. 

 

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Perhaps Jerry wasn't really courting AJ and was simply using him to get what he wanted. Perhaps AJ knew he was being played, but enjoyed it and felt he was getting exactly what he wanted/needed. He should be enjoying himself as much as possible right now. If he fails to get his team into the postseason and look respectable, he may be cooking and cleaning for his wicked step-sisters in the offseason.