The Mariners announced Thursday that they’ve designated former top outfield prospect Taylor Trammell for assignment. He was out of minor league options and didn’t make Seattle’s Opening Day roster, necessitating the DFA.
Selected by the Reds with the No. 35 overall draft pick back in 2016, the now-26-year-old Trammell ranked among baseball’s top 100 prospects each year from 2018-21. Trammell has participated in a pair of Futures Games and twice been traded, most recently going from the Padres to the Mariners alongside Andres Munoz, Ty France and Luis Torrens in the deal sending Austin Nola, Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla back to San Diego.
At the time of that swap, a then-rebuilding Mariners club hoped to be adding another long-term building block. Seattle had enviable prospect depth in the outfield, headlined by Trammell, Jarred Kelenic and current face of the franchise Julio Rodriguez. Not all prospects pan out, however, as evidenced by the fact that Trammell and Kelenic are both off the 40-man roster — the latter no longer even in the organization.
Trammell has had multiple auditions with the Mariners, appearing in each of the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons. It’s arguable that he hasn’t been given a true big league run with consistent playing time and without fear of being sent back down due to a talented and crowded outfield mix, but he’s yet to prove he can handle big league pitching. In 351 MLB trips to the plate, he’s a .168/.270/.368 hitter with a massive 37% strikeout rate.
That said, Trammell has been vastly better in Triple-A. He’s spent parts of three seasons there as well, turning in a stout .274/.381/.506 batting line with a 24% strikeout rate that’s worlds better than his MLB clip. Trammell has shown off his eye at the plate both in the majors (11.1% walk rate) and in Triple-A (14%). Earlier in his career, the former two-sport star — he was an All-State runningback at his Georgia high school — was touted as a plus defender and plus runner, but he’s slowed down as he’s filled out his frame. Statcast ranked him in just the 43rd percentile of MLB players in average sprint speed last year, and his defensive grades from metrics like Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved haven’t lined up with those encouraging scouting reports to date.
Trammell has probably hit for more power than was expected early in his prospect days. His .368 slugging isn’t much to look at, but when considering his low batting average, he’s sitting on a .200 ISO in his big league career. He’s also popped 38 homers in his 812 Triple-A plate appearances.
Since he’s out of minor league options, Trammell needs to either stick on a big league roster or else be passed through waivers. The Mariners will have the next five days to explore trade scenarios before they have to determine whether to place Trammell on waivers (which are a 48-hour process). Within a week’s time, we’ll know whether he’s been traded, claimed or cleared waivers. If he clears, the Mariners will be able to assign him outright to Triple-A Tacoma, retaining his rights without needing to dedicate a 40-man roster spot to him.