As you’ve probably heard by now, yesterday the Rays finalized a five-player trade sending outfielders Mallex Smith and Jake Fraley to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for catcher Mike Zunino, outfielder Guillermo Heredia, and left-handed pitcher Michael Plassmeyer.
Overall, the response in Rays land has been rather positive. Catcher was the number one position of need for the team this offseason, and this trade does an excellent job addressing that need. Count me among the (slight) skeptics, however. And that’s because of the man the Rays gave up.
Mallex Smith (or MIS, Mallex International Speedway as I am fond of calling him) is fresh off one of better, and certainly most fulfilling, seasons in recent Rays history.