CINCINNATI — The Seattle Mariners completed a deal with the Reds Monday that will bring outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Eugenio Suárez to Seattle, the clubs announced on Monday.
Cincinnati will receive Justin Dunn, Brandon Williamson and Jake Fraley in return, and the Mariners will also send a player to be named later, the Reds announced on their website, reds.com.
Winker was a first-time All-Star in 2021, slugging a career-high 24 home runs with a .305/.394/.556 batting line. The slugger Suárez went deep 31 times last year and hit 49 homers in 2019, though he struck out 189 times.
The move comes a day after the Reds traded Sonny Gray to the Twins, as their offseason overhaul continues.
Winker, 28, has two seasons of arbitration eligibility remaining before hitting free agency after the 2023 season. Suárez, 30, is owed roughly $11 million per year for the next three seasons, with a $15 million team option for ‘25 or a $2 million buyout. The Mariners are assuming that entire financial commitment.
Gray to Twins
The Reds traded right-handed starter Sonny Gray to the Twins on Sunday for pitching prospect Chase Petty, the team announced.
Gray is the second Cincinnati starting pitcher to depart this winter; left-hander Wade Miley was claimed by the Cubs off waivers in November. The Reds also sent Minor League right-handed pitcher Francis Peguero to Minnesota in the deal.
“I’d like to thank Sonny for everything he has done with our club,” Reds general manager Nick Krall said. “He’s been a tremendous teammate, a tremendous player; just a really great guy to have. Talking to him was really tough, but we felt this was a good baseball deal for us.”
Krall also acknowledged the financial concerns that figured into the move. Gray was entering the final year of his three-year, $30.5 million contract and was due to make $10.2 million in 2022 with a $12 million club option for 2023. He joined former catcher Tucker Barnhart as a player who was dealt because of payroll considerations. Barnhart was traded to the Tigers in November for a Minor Leaguer.
In 68 starts for Cincinnati in three seasons, Gray was 23-20 with a 3.49 ERA and made the All-Star team in 2019. The 32-year-old was informed of the deal before he flew to Arizona to report to Reds camp.
“Obviously, payroll has been an issue the last couple of years with some of the moves we’ve made,” Krall said on reds.com. “We do feel this is a really good baseball move for us. We’re really excited to get Chase Petty.”
Petty, who turns 19 on April 4, is now the Reds’ No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and was the 26th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He appeared in two games last year at the Rookie-level Florida Complex League — with one start — and posted a 5.40 ERA.
“He has a chance to be a high-end starting pitcher for a long time,” Krall said. “We’re really excited to have him. John Ceprini, our area scout in the Northeast, did a lot of work on him for the Draft. We thought we had a chance to get him with our comp pick [No. 30 overall] last year. We think he’s got a chance to be a high-caliber Major League starter or reliever, and time will tell.”
