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I'd have to agree I'd prefer to have seen Correa or Buxton in Mariner teal, but I do believe Zunino was the M's guy all along. You look around at the Jim Callises, Jonathan Mayos, and Keith Laws and their info is fairly solid. Gausman or Buxton to the Twins, Zunino to the M's, Gausman or Fried to the O's, college pitcher to the Royals, Almora to the Cubs, Giolito in the teens. There's not much misdirection with the MLB draft, and honestly not much competitive advantage that could be gained by it. There's some uncertainty - which could be because the teams themselves don't know yet - but the solid info that does leak out is legit. Everyone was calling Zunino to the M's, he's the player they wanted.
The problem with franchise catchers is that they burn out. I'm definitely not opposed to having two everyday catchers in the starting lineup, swapping off at 1B/DH when they're not catching. This allows you to extend their catching life, keeps them fresher in-season (plus fewer off days needed = more AB's), and allows greater flexibility with your bench. If both Zunino and Montero are in the starting lineup and neither one's catching more than 4 days a week, then the need for a traditional backup C is greatly reduced. That extra bench spot could open up the possibility for a .900 OPS platoon at a position that would otherwise be a weakness, or you could carry a more offensive C who typically wouldn't have enough defense to be the exclusive backup. You're just about gaining a 26th roster spot - how much do you think that advantage would be worth to teams?
Regarding Zunino specifically, don't think we're getting a Mike Piazza bat and I suspect 35 HR's would be more hope than expected projection. However, there's a reason Jason Varitek was the team captain of all those great Red Sox teams and not Schilling, Beckett, Ortiz, or Manny. The SP's, Ackley, Montero, and hopefully Smoak and Franklin will all be bigger stars, but Zunino will be the leader and identity of the team. Would not be at all surprised if we look back five years from now and consider 2012 to be the draft where we obtained the key piece of the rebuild.