Mariners acquire Wong from Brewers for Winker, Toro

This browser does not support the video element.

SEATTLE -- The Mariners have landed their much-coveted second baseman and filled a left-handed need in their lineup, acquiring Kolten Wong from the Brewers on Friday in exchange for outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Abraham Toro.

TRADE DETAILS
Mariners receive: 2B Kolten Wong
Brewers receive: LF/DH Jesse Winker, INF Abraham Toro

This browser does not support the video element.

The Mariners are also receiving $1.75 million to help offset Wong¡¯s $10 million salary for 2023, after which he will become a free agent. Winker is due $8.25 million in his final year before free agency, essentially making him a salary and player swap for Seattle, while Toro is entering his first year of arbitration as a Super Two player and won¡¯t be a free agent until after 2026.

Wong has been a Mariners target since the club fell short to the Brewers in signing him as a free agent ahead of the 2021 season, when Seattle offered a two-year deal but Milwaukee offered a third-year club option, which at the time, according to sources, was the difference. The Mariners had also checked in on Wong¡¯s availability at the Trade Deadline in each of the past two seasons, but the contending Brewers weren¡¯t motivated to move him.

But with Milwaukee saddled with several arbitration-eligible players scheduled for pay increases this offseason, many in the industry speculated that the club would be inclined to trade some of its higher-cost players for salary relief, prospect capital and/or depth.

Toro, the switch-hitting infielder who¡¯s shown flashes of plus play, represents longevity for the Brewers¡¯ roster and Winker, coming off a massively disappointing year, returns to a division where he thrived with the Reds while facing the motivation of a contract year with Milwaukee.

¡°We have long coveted Kolten¡¯s well-balanced, all-around game,¡± Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. ¡°He also brings veteran leadership and a winning pedigree that will make a difference for us both on and off the field.¡±

This browser does not support the video element.

The Brewers exercised Wong¡¯s option last month instead of paying him a $2 million buyout, creating the opportunity to shop him, which led to interest from multiple clubs beyond Seattle, per reports. Mariners GM Justin Hollander said that Seattle had multiple permutations of offers for Wong -- some involving additional teams -- before talks culminated Friday.

Wong, 32, is coming off perhaps his best year at the plate, having slashed .251/.339/.430 (.769 OPS) with a career-high 15 homers, 24 doubles, four triples, 47 RBIs and 116 wRC+ (league average is 100) while accumulating 2.5 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs.

Some of his offensive uptick correlated with a more intentional effort to lift the ball more. His line-drive and fly-ball rate the past two years were the highest of his career (49.3% combined), while his ground-ball rate dipped to his lowest (43.7% for ¡®21-22). It¡¯s perhaps no coincidence that his OPS+ in each of the past two years -- 110 in ¡®21 and 118 in ¡®22 -- was the highest of his career.

The Mariners also crave defense, and Wong is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner but is coming off a defensively down year, worth minus-9 outs above average (ranking in the third percentile, per Statcast) and minus-1 defensive runs saved.

This browser does not support the video element.

Some of that may be attributed to lower body injuries that he battled throughout the year, including a right calf strain from a hit-by-pitch in June that led to a stint on the injured list and lingered despite treatment and experimentation with footwear. A full offseason of rest and a Spring Training with infield coaching guru Perry Hill -- who Wong has already been in contact with -- should help.

¡°He owned it at the end of the season,¡± Hollander said. ¡°He didn't have the kind of year, particularly with his hands, that his own expectations are for himself. He brought it up to me on the phone that he's prepared to be much better defensively next year.¡±

With two lefty-hitting middle infielders, the Mariners are now positioned to utilize Dylan Moore more regularly in the infield, a by-design plan at the offseason¡¯s outset.

¡°The way our team is constructed right now, the great likelihood is [Moore] spends more days than he did last year at second and at short,¡± Hollander said. ¡°Spelling players, giving them days off and making sure that we get the best version of everybody because of Dylan's great strengths and versatility and versus left-handed pitching.¡±

This browser does not support the video element.

What the deal means

Acquiring Wong ahead of next week's Winter Meetings crosses off another big box on the Mariners¡¯ checklist after they acquired slugging outfielder Teoscar Hernández from the Blue Jays last month in exchange for reliever Erik Swanson and lefty pitching prospect Adam Macko.

Moreover, the Wong trade did not cost Seattle any of its prized prospects and instead cleared up some roster logjam. Winker would¡¯ve been vying for outfield time against Jarred Kelenic, Sam Haggerty and Taylor Trammell. Trading Winker also frees up more DH opportunities for the rest of the Mariners' roster, which they intend to use as a rotation.

¡°We'll continue to look for ways in which we can lengthen our lineup, deepen our offense and provide the best position players we can to [manager] Scott [Servais] and the staff,¡± Hollander said.

The guys they gave up

The transaction ends a disappointing one-year run for Winker in Seattle after he was acquired to be a middle-of-the-order run producer but never found his footing. After arriving in a Spring Training blockbuster deal with Cincinnati in March, paired with third baseman Eugenio Suárez, Winker slashed .219/.344/.344 (.688 OPS), one year after he posted .305/.394/.556 (.950 OPS) worth of production with 24 homers as an All-Star with the Reds.

He also was worth minus-10 outs above average (ranking in the 3rd percentile) and minus-16 defensive runs saved, last among all MLB outfielders, and at times, his defensive deficiencies directly impacted games. A fresh start in a division and ballpark he knows could perhaps serve him well. Winker is a career .344/.440/.591 (1.031 OPS) hitter over 32 games at Miller Park.

Toro had some huge moments in Seattle after arriving in a trade that sent clubhouse favorite Kendall Graveman to division-rival Houston. The Mariners loved his bat-to-ball skills and switch-hit tool, but his offense took a big dip in 2022 for a .185/.239/.324 (.563 OPS) slash line, a 125-point drop in OPS.

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com