They Should Sell
The Opportunity in This Market Shouldn’t be Ignored for THIS Group
The Seattle Mariners appeared to have grabbed some momentum after a 5-1 homestand but immediately surrendered all the ground gained after being swept by the Marlins. The team will next head off to face the best team in the AL in Tampa to wrap up their first half. Thankfully, the American League, particularly the West, has been equally as mediocre as the Mariners, giving this team of corpses just enough life support to dream the October dream. But should this front office and ownership group be that invested in this group?
We can talk about talent all you want, and this is a talented team. But nearly 100 games into the season, you are what your record says you are. In Seattle’s case, that makes them painfully mediocre. To make matters worse, this is a painfully dull deadline period. Most teams are in a gray area for contention and the desire to sell assets when you can sell tickets at “playoff chase” prices is low. Selling a good player and then missing the playoffs by a handful of games is devastating.
Heck, Jerry Dipoto and company have already done something similar to that twice in the last 6 years when they traded Kendall Graveman and Paul Sewald. Now, both trades actually made Seattle better, but both were viewed in the clubhouse and by fans as a white flag on the season. Could we see something similar this summer?
It isn’t likely. Seattle fell just 8 outs short of going to their first World Series, and selling while technically still in first place would be viewed as a slap in the face by some. But if you’re going to remain in contention regardless of your talent level, could they sell and make it work? Possibly.
We should start with the rentals. The notable names here are JP Crawford and Randy Arozarena. Nobody believes the Mariners will make a push to re-sign Arozarena. His possible replacement, Michael Arroyo, was just promoted to AAA. And while rental bats typically don’t go for much, the lack of quality right-handed outfielders on the market means Seattle could land a decent enough prospect package to entice them. Teams like Tampa Bay, New York, and Philadelphia make sense for Arozarena (scroll to the bottom for example deals).
Crawford is a bit more challenging. A quality bat, JP has struggled mightily recently and has recently moved off SS to 3B in an attempt to extend his Mariners career. Crawford is a clubhouse and fan favorite, and the price to move him would likely be higher than the market would pay. Still, teams like Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Miami, looking for a veteran infielder to hit towards the bottom of their lineup, may be interested.
The rentals are interesting cases, but the real intrigue comes from the rotation. Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan will be factors for rotation jobs as soon as Opening Day 2027, as things currently stand. Anderson would very likely be a solid #3 starter right now. While the Mariners wouldn’t likely entertain offers for Bryan Woo or Bryce Miller, the quartet of Emerson Hancock, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, and Luis Castillo would certainly be open for discussion.
Castillo may very well be on the move regardless of the team’s status this summer, and Hancock is tough to value, but Kirby and Gilbert would immediately vault to the top of big boards if either was made available. The team would like to extend one or both arms, but Kirby has never felt like an extension candidate, and Logan has just one full season left before he can test free agency.
Most teams would carry some interest in Kirby. With 2 full seasons left, he carries appeal for both contenders and those who may want to compete by 2027. If Seattle feels like it can’t extend either of these arms, they are running out of time to get anything for them.
A few other names that could generate interest include Gabe Speier, Andres Munoz, Jose A. Ferrer, and Brendan Donovan. The latter was a hot commodity for many teams this winter, and while Seattle will certainly see Donovan as a big piece of their 2027 team, they may not have the cleanest fit for him going forward. Speier may be the sneaky prize of the deadline. He’s a premium lefty reliever who is controlled through the 2027 season. After a brief stint on the IL this year, he’s been lights out on the back of an excellent 2025 season.
The Mariners wouldn’t be interested in a pure firesale. They may even make buyer moves if they sold a piece or two. But the team will want to compete in 2027, and with the lockout looming this winter, they’ll have no interest in completely rebuilding their club. Players like Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor, Cole Young, Colt Emerson, Woo, and Miller aren’t going anywhere for various reasons. But if the team can move an expiring contract or deal from a redundant position group, they may be able to thread the needle.
Potential Trades
Randy Arozarena to Tampa Bay for Brayden Taylor (3B) and Joe Boyle (RP)
J.P. Crawford to Milwaukee for Craig Yoho
George Kirby to Arizona for Ryan Waldschmidt, Jordan Lawlar, Brian Curley
Gabe Speier and Luke Raley to Tampa for Jacob Melton