Mariners trade Mike Montgomery to Cubs for Daniel Vogelbach

Well hello again, You may have just watched Robinson Cano ground into an increasingly irrelevant double play to crush a promising Mariner rally. Felix Hernandez went 6.2 innings, and looked ok. But none of that matters, because we have a TRADE:

Sources: Cubs and Mariners nearing a deal. LHP Mike Montgomery would go to Chicago. DH/1B Dan Vogelbach would be a piece going to Seattle.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 20, 2016

IT'S ANOTHER 1B/DH WHEN WILL THEY FIRE JACK ZDURIENCIK!?!?

Ok, no, it's not really like that at all. Mike Montgomery has been one of the bright spots of the season. Seemingly without a roster spot and doomed to be DFA'd before the season started, MiMo transformed himself into a quality reliever, posting 61.2 IP with a 3.20 FIP, with career best walk and strikeout rates. He has five years (!) left of club control, and for a team in position to make a serious World Series charge not only this year, but for years to come, he makes a great deal of sense for the Cubs.

Montgomery's loss further thins an already injured and shaky Mariner bullpen, and the recovery of Charlie Furbush to something resembling his 2015 form now becomes increasingly important if the team wants to mount a last charge at the playoffs in 2016.

As for Daniel Vogelbach, I actually saw him in Tacoma last month. My first reaction was to verbally say "That is Kyle Schwarber because, I mean:

Both players are left-handed baseball destruction machines, and both are built like fire hydrants. But Vogelbach is more like an inflatable fire hydrant in Disney's ToonTown: He's oversized, soft and puffy. He moves on a baseball field like someone rubber banded Popsicle sticks to an empty can of beans, and, oh, what else? Oh, right, he hit three balls that would be home runs in almost every major league ballpark; two to Cheney's comically large centerfield, and one high up on the hill in right field. He can mash.

What else is there to like? Well, he has a 67/55 K/BB, a .425 OBP, and 16 home runs this year. He is 23 years old, and has even more club control left than Mike Montgomery, not to mention being four years younger and a position player. For a team that has been burned by Adam Lind, Vogelbach projects, perhaps even immediately, as something approximate to the player they thought they were acquiring in Lind, but almost a decade younger and vastly cheaper. He is, if things break right, the team's DH of the future, and that is something worth having around.

For those who like to spin narratives, this move doesn't seem to indicate the Mariners are either "buying" or "selling" at this point. It's almost as though attempting to put two binary labels on a subtle and very complicated process doesn't quite tell the whole story. The team dealt a quality reliever for a DH who can replace on of their most disappoint players today, and for years to come. This move has my full endorsement, even as I'm very sad to see Mike Montgomery move on. Best of luck, MiMo.

More if it breaks. For now enjoy these videos/humorous pictures of Dan Vogelbach:

Happy to hear Dan Vogelbach will get a shot in Seattle. Please be kind to baseball's large adult son, M's fans. pic.twitter.com/2PsVt6syk8

— David Roth (@david_j_roth) July 20, 2016

So @FGChoo just called Vogelbach German Breakfast and now I am very happy. https://t.co/hXKids2BP8

— Lookout Landing (@LookoutLanding) July 20, 2016

Bonus HS Bat Flip

How excited am I about this Vogelbach trade? Almost as excited as Vogelbach was after hitting this HR in HS pic.twitter.com/ghHzJZaEzq

— Cespedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) July 20, 2016