Keeping busy: Mariners trade Mark Trumbo to Orioles for Steve Clevenger

New Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto continues to be the busiest man in baseball. Dipoto was at it again Tuesday, trading first baseman Mark Trumbo to the Baltimore Orioles for first baseman Steve Clevenger. The deal was first reported by Bob Dutton of the News Tribune. 

On the surface, the swap looks strange. Both players are 29 years old and play exactly the same positions. It’s rare to see a deal where the players traded are both fairly similar.

[Elsewhere: The Boston Red Sox signed David Price to a massive deal]

If anything, the trade probably gives us a better idea of what each club is trying to accomplish next year. Trumbo is arbitration-eligible during the offseason, and is likely due for a raise after making $6.9 million last year. Seattle probably doesn’t want to pay him that money, and was looking for a team who might be willing to eat a higher salary.

Due to his elite pop, Trumbo is the bigger name in the deal. That said, his performance has left a lot to be desired over the past few years. Trumbo doesn’t walk much, and strikes out often. So, while he’ll hit his fair share of home runs, he’ll do so while posting a poor average and a weak on-base percentage. His career .250/.300/.458 slash line is fairly underwhelming, particularly for a first baseman. Dipoto is known for being a stat-friendly general manager, and Trumbo probably isn’t a player he values all that highly. 

Clevenger’s performance in the majors has also been underwhelming, but he comes at a significantly lower price. Clevenger made just $514,000 last season and isn’t eligible for arbitration just yet. His salary should rise in 2015, but only slightly. 

Over 446 career plate appearances in the majors, Clevenger has posted a .228/.280/.327 slash line. That’s hardly appealing, but easier to deal with for a player who won’t start many games. Considering both Trumbo and Clevenger play the same position, the move looks like a straight salary dump for Seattle. 

With Trumbo gone, Seattle now has a massive hole at first base. While Trumbo wasn’t the greatest option to the position, the team will rely on either Clevenger or Jesus Montero to fill that void now. The Mariners could also make a play for a prominent free-agent, like Chris Davis, but it’s unclear whether they are going to be serious spenders this offseason. If the M’s don’t want to spend much, the next two available free-agent first baseman according to Jeff Passan’s list would be 33-year-old Dae-ho Lee or 34-year-old Justin Morneau.

Speaking of Davis, the addition of Trumbo doesn’t necessarily rule out the Orioles pursuit of re-signing their former first baseman, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN. Trumbo also has experience as a designated hitter, so there’s a scenario where he and Davis could coexist in Baltimore. 

It’s also worth noting that, while Trumbo’s numbers may not improve dramatically, going from Safeco to Camden Yards is a huge upgrade for the slugger. Camden Yards has a much higher park effect for home runs according to StatCorner.com, so that should help Trumbo’s home run figures. He will likely continue to hit for low averages and post poor on-base percentages, but a return to 30+ home runs seems likely. 

That said, it’s tough to harshly judge either side of this deal at this time. It’s still early enough in the offseason where both teams can still make significant additions to their clubs. A salary dump isn’t the worst thing for Seattle right now, particularly if they go out and use that money to acquire more talent.

[Related: Byung-ho Park is heading to Minnesota]

While Trumbo isn’t a special player, he should see a slight increase in his numbers and the Orioles are comfortable with his salary. On top of that, Baltimore may not be done making moves, so his addition could look better in a few weeks based on what else they do. 

If Trumbo is the Orioles only big addition, the trade looks pretty average on their end. Unless Trumbo improves significantly, the Orioles are getting a player with one major skill and a fair amount of flaws. He’s hardly overpaid, meaning this is far from a disaster, but it’s tough to get worked up about a player of his caliber at this time.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik