Mariners complete trade with Reds for All-Star Jesse Winker and third baseman Eugenio Suarez

PEORIA, Ariz. — Jerry Dipoto paced the concrete patio behind the Mariners spring training complex with intensity and purpose, ignoring the 80-degree sun beating down for a 90-degree feel. With his cell phone attached to his ear, and speaking in a voice that intentionally couldn’t be heard by anyone but the person on the other end, hours and days worth of conversations and discussions had reached its culmination.

When the conversation ended, he walked quickly toward the building.

“That looked serious, do you got something for us?” he was asked.

“I was busy transacting,” the Mariners president of baseball operations said.

“Is it close?”

“It’s done,” he said with a smile.

Roughly 30 minutes later, Dipoto’s conversation became the announcement of a six-player trade with the Cincinnati Reds.

The Mariners acquired All-Star outfielder Jesse Winker and slugging third baseman Eugenio Suarez from the Reds in exchange for outfielder Jake Fraley, right-handed pitcher Justin Dunn, left-handed pitching prospect Brandon Williamson, who is rated as the No. 5 prospect in the Mariners organization by Baseball America, and a player to be named later.

“We’re incredibly excited at the chance to acquire two All-Star caliber players,” Dipoto said. “Jesse has been one of the premier offensive players in the league over the past two seasons, while Suarez brings a long track record as a power hitter. Our goal is to reach the postseason this year, and we feel that these additions give us the depth and impact in our lineup necessary to compete for one of those spots.”

As part of the deal, the Mariners will take on Suarez’s $35 million owed in salary.

Winker, 28, was named an All-Star for the Reds in 2021, posting a .305/.394/.556 slash line with 32 doubles, a triple, 24 homers, 71 RBI, 53 walks and 75 strikeouts in 110 games. Like most lefty hitters, he mashed right-handed pitching.

“Obviously it’s part of the business,” Winker said about being traded. “It’s what you sign up for when you sign. But I can’t wait to go to Seattle. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about the city, about the team. They’re trying to win. And I’m really, really excited about that. I’m looking forward to competing.”

In 1,217 plate appearances vs. right-handed pitching, he has a career .313/.405/.556 slash line. But he won’t be strictly a platoon player.

“Jesse will play left field primarily,” Dipoto said. “I would say full-time against righties and we want to give him some exposure against lefties because we like what the underlying information suggests he’s capable of.”

The opening day lineup will likely feature Winker in left field, Jarred Kelenic in center and Mitch Haniger in right. Dipoto admitted that Kyle Lewis probably won’t factor into that opening day mix.

Lewis, who had season-ending surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus in 2021, participated in only parts of the first official full squad workout Monday. He took some swings in the indoor cages, did some running, played catch with Mike Cameron but didn’t participate in any on-field baseball drills.

“He looks tremendous,” Dipoto said. “He’s physically strong. He’s running through his baseball drills. How we feel with his physical stability coming to camp is about as encouraging as it could be. As a rule, we want to move slower than fast. Once we had a chance to visit with them, I don’t think he or we have concerns that the physical rehab is still ongoing. But we still want to treat him like a rehab player. So the chances of him starting the season on time are not great. But we do believe that … we should see him sooner than later.”

Suarez got off to a miserable start in 2021 and sort of recovered with a strong September to finish with a .198/.286/.428 slash line with 23 doubles, 31 homers, 79 RBI, 56 walks and 171 strikeouts in 145 games. In September with the Reds trying to earn a postseason spot, he slashed .370/.460/.808 with eight doubles, eight homers and 13 RBI.

“I never expected this,” Suarez said about being traded. “I could see my career ending in Cincinnati. I understand this game. I understand baseball is like this and this is not my first time. Now I represent the Mariners and Seattle, and I will do my best for them.”

Since the 2018 season, he has hit 129 home runs, which is the most of any MLB player over that span with a .259/.335/.507 slash line and 324 RBI.

He will take over as the everyday third baseman, replacing Kyle Seager, who retired after the 2021 season.

“He’s actually a reverse splits guy, so he is just as good or better against right-hand pitchers than he is against the lefties,” Dipoto said. “He had a very good second half after a really tough start. He’s been one of the most consistent power hitters in the league. He’ll get his everyday reps.”

Adding Winker and Suarez into the middle of the Mariners lineup that features Ty France and Mitch Haniger should help provide some punch to an offense that struggled to score runs and get any sort of productivity from the bottom of the order.

“We feel like these guys make our lineup longer and a lot more ominous,” Dipoto said. “We feel like it gives us the lineup depth that playoff teams have. This was a goal of ours heading into the offseason and we tried a lot of different avenues so to speak. One through nine and the handedness of the pitcher doesn’t matter, we feel like our lineup is in a much better place.”

Dipoto said they were active in the free agent market before and after the lockout, but a signing never came to fruition. In October, he’d approached Reds general manager Nick Krall, who was beginning a rebuild process and looking to move players, about acquiring Winker and possibly Suarez. The conversation carried into November’s general managers meetings. The deal picked up this week.

“Over the course of the last three or four days, we drove down a lot of dead ends, spun around in a number of different cul-de-sacs,” Dipoto said. “The one thing that was constant was the interaction with the Cincinnati Reds. When it came to the point that we were able to get both of these guys in the same deal, it was just too much impact for us to pass up on and really excited to have them join us.”

Dipoto admitted that the deal hinged on whether they would include Williamson in the trade package. The 6-6 lefty was the Mariners second-round pick out of TCU in 2019. He posted a combined 4-6 record with a 3.39 ERA with 33 walks and 153 strikeouts between High-A Everett and Class AA Arkansas.

“We were hesitant to give up Brandon Williamson, but that was that was part of the deal that needed to happen to get it done,” Dipoto said.

Dunn, who was acquired as one of the players in the trade that sent Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to New York, was expected to be a part of the future rotation. But he battled command issues and later shoulder discomfort.

Fraley served as a platoon outfielder last season, playing in 78 games and posting a .210/.352/.369 slash line with seven doubles, nine homers and 36 RBI. Acquired from the Rays before the 2019 season, Fraley struggled against left-handed pitching and battled injuries over the three seasons.

Dipoto said the player to be named later will come from a list of players that were agreed upon by both sides. The Reds have until mid-summer to make that decision.