The Mariners have made their first significant deadline trade and as Jerry Dipoto suggested, it’s both a little bit of a sell and a buy trade, as they’re sending their closer and clubhouse leader, Paul Sewald, to the Diamondbacks in exchange for three players: infielder Josh Rojas, OF/1B Dominic Canzone, and INF Ryan Bliss.
Rojas is the de facto headliner of the this trade and the one with the most major-league experience, having debuted in 2019 and getting scant playing time at the big league level through the shortened 2020 season. He settled in as a regular in Arizona’s lineup in 2021, putting up wRC+ marks of 102 and 108 in 2021 and 2022, respectively, while playing all around the diamond but finding plenty of time at third base.