The San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners struck up a trade centered on former All-Star A.J. Pollock, whose career the Giants hope to revive.
With the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline on the horizon, teams are getting their last-second deals in under the wire. The San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners struck up a deal Monday, with A.J. Pollock and Mark Mathias on their way to the Bay Area.
The Giants are primarily investing in the reclamation of Pollock, a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner in centerfield. That said, Pollock's All-Star and Gold Glove season came in 2015 — eight years ago.
He has struggled to live up to those heights in the years since. Now, he's in the middle of the worst season of his career.
The Mariners, on the other hand, are getting rid of Pollock in the middle of an abysmal season while also offloading utilityman Mark Mathias, a recent waiver wire pickup who started the season in Pittsburgh.
MLB trade grades: Giants reclaim A.J. Pollock as Mariners dump salary
While we wait on the Mariners' side of the deal, the general dynamic here is clear as day: the Mariners are dumping Pollock's one-year, $7 million contract. He has been thoroughly terrible in his lone season with Seattle, batting .173 with 22 hits and five homers in 127 at-bats. His minus-0.4 WAR tells the whole story.
The Giants, meanwhile, will hope Pollock can reclaim some of his old magic with a change of scenery. It's clear the vibes weren't great for Pollock in Seattle, and while he will have to prove his mettle to skeptical members of the San Francisco fanbase, he's going to a team well-positioned for a strong postseason push.
San Francisco is currently 2.0 games behind Los Angeles in the standings, within striking distance of first place in the National League's most competitive division. The NL West has been a hornets nest all year but San Francisco has the bats — if not so much the pitching — to compete with anyone once the playoffs arrive.
Given the nature of Pollock's contract and his production this season, expect him to serve mostly in a reserve or platoon capacity in the outfield. Luis Matos gets primary reps in centerfield, while the Giants tend to oscillate between Michael Conforto and Joc Pederson in left field.
Simply put, Pollock is little more than a depth piece for San Francisco. The same can be said for Mathias, who has played sparingly in the MLB. He has inherent value as a utilityman, which allows the Giants to plug a variety of holes as they pop up, but he won't play a prominent role for the franchise.
Giants Trade Grade: C
The Mariners aren't getting the splashiest return here — either cash considerations or a player to be named later — but it's a simple cost-cutting maneuver for a small market franchise.
Pollock hasn't exactly aided the Mariners' postseason pursuit and Seattle positioned itself as a seller with the decision to trade coveted relief pitcher Paul Sewald. The Mariners are starting to think about next season, and Pollock was simply never going to stick around.
Mariners Trade Grade: B+