Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto has already made his first notable offseason trade. The Mariners traded relief pitcher Emilio Pagan and minor league infielder Alexander Campos to the Oakland Athletics for first baseman Ryan Healy. A report by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times stated that the deal came during the Major League Baseball general managers’ meeting in Orlando on Wednesday (Nov. 15).

The Mariners certainly needed to add a first baseman during the MLB offseason, as Yonder Alonso is now a free agent. The team struggled at the position for most of the last year, with the offensive rankings of their first basemen near the bottom of the league.

That was something that Dipoto openly admitted needed to be addressed and it appears he may have taken a step toward doing it. This deal may be considered a bargain, especially if Healy hits well for the Mariners.

Healy’s stats with the Athletics

In 605 plate appearances last season, Ryon Healy had a .271 batting average, .302 on-base percentage, and .754 OPS with the Oakland Athletics. Healy also had 25 home runs and 78 RBIs, showing that the now 26-year-old has a bit of power in his bat. The Athletics used Healy at first base, third base, and in the designated hitter slot for the season.

The Seattle Mariners have also been linked to first baseman Carlos Santana this offseason, who is likely a more well-known name than Healy.

But it now seems like Dipoto had his eyes on Healy for a while, especially after reading his quote in the Seattle Times.

“This has been something we’ve talked with Oakland about dating back to the last week of October,” Dipoto said. “This has been in the works for over a month now. For us to put a first baseman in place after going year to year for such a long time, we’re hopeful that Ryon can step in and solve a good deal of that problem.”

Mariners aren’t done yet

When the Mariners added starting pitcher Mike Leake for the second-half of the 2017 MLB season, it gave the team a head start on improving the rotation for 2018.

If Ryon Healy is the expected first baseman now, then Dipoto will have more money to spend on starting pitching. That could be a huge deal for the Mariners, as there are a number of big questions about the rotation.

As for whom the Seattle Mariners had to give up acquiring Ryon Healy, Emilio Pagan was an oft-used reliever last season.

He went 2-3 with a 3.22 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings of work. He was a surprise addition to the roster coming out of Spring Training and performed well for the team. Alexander Campos is a 17-year-old who was a non-drafted free agent signing. He posted a .290 batting average with the Dominican Summer League Mariners.
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