What do you think of this Colorado Rockies-Seattle Mariners trade idea?

Could the Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies both benefit from a trade involving one of Colorado’s most versatile players? Our colleagues who cover the Mariners at SoDoMojo.com recently explored that question.

In their article, they proposed that the Colorado Rockies send Garrett Hampson to the Mariners in exchange for two prospects, right-hander Sam Carlson and outfielder Victor Labrada. Carlson is currently ranked as the 24th-best prospect in the Seattle system while Labrada is not ranked.

Let’s dive into a proposed trade between the Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies

From the Colorado perspective, the 27-year-old Hampson is under team control until 2025. In just over 1,000 plate appearances spread across four seasons, Hampson has posted a .240/.298/.383 slash line with an OPS+ of 71. Last year, for the first time in his career, Hampson logged more games in the outfield (74 starts in center field) than he did in the infield (30 starts at second base, two at shortstop, and one at third base), giving a nod to the versatility that the Rockies love to see in their players.

However, Hampson’s starts in the outfield were more out of necessity than earned time. In only one month last season did Hampson post an OPS over .750 (June’s .857 spurt) and in only two did Hampson have an OPS higher than .700 (add in April’s .741 in there as well). Hampson avoided the injured list last year while fellow center fielders Yonathan Daza missed time with COVID protocols then struggled when he returned and Sam Hilliard bounced between Triple-A and Denver while producing just a .215 average.

Hampson’s position with the Rockies this season is muddied at the moment with a crowded outfield and plenty of talk that Colorado will be looking to add a power bat into the mix once the lockout ends. With Trevor Story out of the picture at shortstop, it’s conceivable that Hampson could see more time in the infield this year. However, it’s expected that the Rockies will find a way to have Chris Owings on the roster, which could well eat into that time as well.

On paper, it seems that the Rockies need to make a move this offseason to undo the logjam in the outfield. Raimel Tapia has been mentioned as a possibility to be traded as well, and that could make more sense given his lack of versatility.

In this proposed trade with the Mariners, neither player has advanced above High-A, with the 21-year-old Labrada striking out 123 times in 404 at-bats at High-A last season while slashing .270/.362/.408. Carlson, meanwhile, rebounded from Tommy John surgery to throw 100 innings and strike out 112 while opponents hit .268 against him.

You can read more about the Seattle prospects in the SoDoMojo article here.

Would you be willing to trade Hampson for a pair of prospects? Do you think Hampson has a future with the Rockies? Let us know in the comments section below.