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The Mariners -- for me, at least -- always seem to match up well with the Rockies when coming up with hypothetical trades. Maybe there's a reason for that.
The two teams have been discussing a potential trade -- one that could come as soon as the Winter Meetings next week, according to Fox Sports' Jon Morosi. A deal involving one of Colorado's outfielders and a Seattle pitcher or two seems plausible, though Justin Morneau also shouldn't be ruled out given the Mariners' perpetual lack of production at first base.
In addition to the darkhorse Morneau, Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon and Drew Stubbs could all be in play if/when trade talks heat up. Seattle has a slew of capable pitchers that should interest the Rockies. Taijuan Walker is a name mentioned by Morosi, though Gonzalez would likely need to be the player heading to the Pacific Northwest in a deal involving the highly touted 22-year-old righty.
Getting Walker or Hisashi Iwakuma (1.1 BB/9 in 2014) would be a dream scenario for the Rockies, but there are several Seattle relievers worthy of acquiring, as well. Danny Farquhar and Dominic Leone are two names mentioned by Morosi, and both would be intriguing additions to Colorado's relief corps. Both hurlers whiffed more than a batter per inning in 2014 and are still under team control for several more years. Given the Rockies' lack of successful power arms in the bullpen, Farquhar and Leone would be tremendous coups.
In a possibly related development, the Rockies are shopping catcher Wilin Rosario, tweets Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, who notes the obvious (to us, at least): that Rosario is a poor defensive catcher who could benefit an American League team. The Mariners are always starved for offense, so while they might not have a tremendous need for a right-handed-hitting DH-type following their signing of Nelson Cruz, they also could use all the production they can get.
The Royals and Orioles could also be a fit for Rosario, who is two years removed from a 28-homer season as a 23-year-old rookie and might very well blossom into a well-above-average power hitter if stripped of the responsibilities of playing defense.