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Seattle Mariners

Don’t expect Mariners to deal pitcher

Wary of trading young arms at meetings

Tacoma News Tribune

SAN DIEGO – The goal this week for the Mariners, as the baseball industry convenes for its annual Winter Meetings, is fairly simple: Acquire a right fielder without surrendering one of their young arms.

Or any arms, really.

After last week’s deal that netted lefty J.A. Happ from Toronto, general manager Jack Zduriencik dispelled the notion that it signaled an increased willingness to dangle, say, Taijuan Walker to nab that coveted outfielder.

“That’s a little bit of a dangerous road,” Zduriencik cautioned. “You look at our pitching staff, and when you analyze it, a couple of those young starters didn’t pitch a lot of innings last year.”

Walker and James Paxton each spent substantial time on the disabled list, and one-time top prospect Danny Hultzen missed the season while recovering from shoulder surgery.

Further, veteran Chris Young departed as a free agent. In effect, Happ replaces Young on the rotation depth chart. Multiple club officials flatly dismiss the idea of trading either Walker or Paxton, whom they control for the next six and five years, to get a one-year rental such as Atlanta’s Justin Upton or Boston’s Yoenis Cespedes.