Mariners trade Ichiro & cash to Yankees for RHPs DJ Mitchell and Danny Fahrquar

[trwi7]

 

Surprised the Mariners traded Ichiro since a week ago they were talking about giving him an extension for some reason. Don't really get it for the Yankees either. Ichiro isn't good anymore.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

Surprised Jack Z could get that one past ownership. Looks like the times are truly changing in Seattle.

[Funketown]

The Yankees also will be getting "Cash Considerations". I'm not really sure why they wanted Ichiro in the first place, but I suppose it will at least be a novelty.

 

Ichiro now has 3,811 hits between NPB and MLB. I'm kind of hoping he can last long enough to have 3,000 in MLB and end his career well north of the 4,000 mark.

[SRB]

Wow, what a steal. Ichiro is no longer all-around elite, but he's still an elite defender and has put up 1.8 fWAR this season (for what fWAR is worth). Mariners got zilch.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Wow, that is crazy. Great deal for the Yankees. I heard the Mariners just wanted to get rid of him, so they weren't pressured to re-sign him after the season. Still a good pickup for than Yankees though. Today is crazy. I thought it was July 23, not July 31?

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Ichiro isn't good. Where is he going to play anyway? Swisher must be hurt worse than we were told.

[Invader3K]

It's a weird trade. I really dislike the idea of Ichiro wearing the pinstripes.

[Polish Falcons]

It's a weird trade. I really dislike the idea of Ichiro wearing the pinstripes.

 

That was my thought exactly. For some reason it disappoints me that Ichiro isn't a Mariner for his whole career now.

[rluzinski]

Wow, what a steal. Ichiro is no longer all-around elite, but he's still an elite defender and has put up 1.8 fWAR this season (for what fWAR is worth). Mariners got zilch.

Ichiro is a good defender but not THAT good:

 

UZR:

2008: 8.1 runs

2009: 8.5

2010: 15.1

2011: -5.7

2012: 15.6 (~half season)

-------------------------

He perhaps worth around 10 runs/year above average defensively, a couple of runs for base running and probably solidly below average, offensively? His rest-of-season projection sits at .273/.309/.348. $2 mil for less than a half season sounds pretty close to what he's worth, no?

[SRB]

Wow, what a steal. Ichiro is no longer all-around elite, but he's still an elite defender and has put up 1.8 fWAR this season (for what fWAR is worth). Mariners got zilch.

Ichiro is a good defender but not THAT good:

 

UZR:

2008: 8.1 runs

2009: 8.5

2010: 15.1

2011: -5.7

2012: 15.6 (~half season)

-------------------------

He perhaps worth around 10 runs/year above average defensively, a couple of runs for base running and probably solidly below average, offensively? His rest-of-season projection sits at .273/.309/.348. $2 mil for less than a half season sounds pretty close to what he's worth, no?

The Yankees don't pay for wins like other teams. They're getting a huge box office draw (not that they necessarily need it) + superb defense (+10 runs/year isn't elite??) + solid base-running + upside. Ichiro's BABIP has been insanely low relative to his career baseline the last year and a half; that's probably him getting old, but it's also probable he's been unlucky a bit too. I don't think Ichiro is totally done for and I bet he has a nice finish to the season in NYC, even if he's no longer one of the top players in the game.

[BrewersSuperCollector]

According to Uecker tonight, I chiro asked to be traded.

[rluzinski]

Wow, what a steal. Ichiro is no longer all-around elite, but he's still an elite defender and has put up 1.8 fWAR this season (for what fWAR is worth). Mariners got zilch.

Ichiro is a good defender but not THAT good:

 

UZR:

2008: 8.1 runs

2009: 8.5

2010: 15.1

2011: -5.7

2012: 15.6 (~half season)

-------------------------

He perhaps worth around 10 runs/year above average defensively, a couple of runs for base running and probably solidly below average, offensively? His rest-of-season projection sits at .273/.309/.348. $2 mil for less than a half season sounds pretty close to what he's worth, no?

The Yankees don't pay for wins like other teams. They're getting a huge box office draw (not that they necessarily need it) + superb defense (+10 runs/year isn't elite??) + solid base-running + upside. Ichiro's BABIP has been insanely low relative to his career baseline the last year and a half; that's probably him getting old, but it's also probable he's been unlucky a bit too. I don't think Ichiro is totally done for and I bet he has a nice finish to the season in NYC, even if he's no longer one of the top players in the game.

My point was that it looks like the Yankees paid market value for wins here even if we assume that Ichiro doesn't have a huge rebound.

[mothershipconnection]

This is bound to set up a showdown in my house as Ichiro is a national hero to my wife which will lead her to the heretical behavior of cheering for the Yankees.

[torts]

The Yankees also will be getting "Cash Considerations". I'm not really sure why they wanted Ichiro in the first place, but I suppose it will at least be a novelty.

 

Ichiro now has 3,811 hits between NPB and MLB. I'm kind of hoping he can last long enough to have 3,000 in MLB and end his career well north of the 4,000 mark.

 

the only player alive with a shot to pass Pete Rose's record... it sucks that it wont be recognized as that since 1200 hits were in japan...

[Baldkin]

He has a very serviceable .712 OPS on the road this year, and a .725 OPS vs RHP this year. If he's used as the big part of a platoon, he has a lot of value.

 

Small samples, both, but he seems to have lost his ability to hit LHP.

[Matt Breen]

This is good for Seattle since they would have felt pressure to re-sign him in the off season. Now they can move forward with guys who are in the long term plan.

 

They can say, 'He asked for the trade, and we complied.' It allows the team to save face and not look like they are dumping him. But it's pretty obvious he's not an elite player anymore, and he's not going to be around when Seattle has a chance to be decent. So there's not point in running him out there just because he's a local icon.

 

And not to mention it's good for Ichiro. At his age, he wants a light at the end of the tunnel. Seattle just wasn't a fit.