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Dbacks Trade Trumbo to Seattle

By Guillermo Salcido

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The Dbacks have officially put themselves among those active in transactions. They might have even started the trade frenzy of 2015. It’s definitely the biggest trade of the early season so far. There will be no more Trumbombs on the behalf of the Dbacks as they just traded away Mark Trumbo to Seattle. Joining Trumbo in the trade is Vidal Nuno. The Dbacks have acquired catcher Welington Castillo, RHP Dominic Leone, infielder Jack Reinheimer and outfielder Gabby Guerrero.

On December 10, 2013, Trumbo was traded from the Los Angeles Angels to the Diamondbacks and thus imagination started to run wild. Trumbo had an All Star season with the Angels and had two years of hitting 30+ homer and another at 29. He showed up in Phoenix at the age of 28 and seemed to enter his peak.

It just didn’t work out the way. In 2014, Trumbo hit .235 with 14 homers and 61 RBI. This season, Trumbo was hitting .259 with 9 homers and 23 RBI. The arrival of Yasmany Tomas and Jake Lamb at third base with an already crowded outfield present, made Trumbo very much expendable.

Nuno was acquired in July last season from the New York Yankees. Nuno’s combined record in 2014 was 2-12 and he had 4.56 ERA. Nuno started 2015 in AAA Reno and returned after a couple of injuries to some bullpen arms. In 2015, Nuno has pitched 14 1/3 innings, stuck out 19 and has a 1.88 ERA. He never really solidified a spot in the pitching staff.

May 24, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Seattle Mariners catcher Welington Castillo (35) out on a sacrifice fly as Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager (not n picture) scores in seventh inning at Rogers Centre. Blue Jays defeated Mariners 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

Castillo is an intriguing acquisition. A little over two weeks ago, the Chicago Cubs trade his services to the Seattle Mariners. It appears that his stay in Seattle will be remarkably short. Last season, Castillo hit a career high 13 homers and drove in a career high 46 runs. This season he’s hitting .162 with a couple of homers. I can think of three players that might not be crazy about his inclusion in Arizona (Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jordan Pacheco and Peter O’Brien)

Leone is a nice pickup. His 2015 numbers are a little discouraging (0-4, 6.35 ERA) but his rookie season shows plenty of promise. In 2014, he went 8-2 with a 2.17 ERA and struck out 70 hitters in 66 1/3 innings. The 23-year old still has plenty of time to develop into a factor out of the bullpen. Given the erratic state of the Dbacks bullpen, it’ll be nice to have a young arm progress into a reliable option.

Apr 19, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Dominic Leone (52) throws against the Texas Rangers during the seventh inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Guerrero and Reinheimer are teammates in AA-level ball. In five seasons in the minors, Guerrero is hitting .285 with 40 homers and 247 RBI. Reinheimer is career .275 hitter in four seasons in the minors. Guerrero is the more heralded prospect of the two. The 21-year old hit .307 with 18 homers and 96 RBI in A-level ball in 2014.

The trade opens up room for Tomas and Lamb to be in the lineup at the same time. With Pollock, Inciarte and Peralta also options in the outfield, someone needed to go. Castillo will only return the catcher logjam to the state it was at before Tuffy’s injury. Leone could be a steal in the trade if he’s able to return to his 2014 form. The real long shot gem of the deal could be Guerrero, however.

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