Why Aren't We Talking About Yandy Diaz and the Seattle Mariners?

The Mariners are going to have to get creative this off-season, so why aren't we talking about the best RHB who might be available?

The Seattle Mariners need offense, everybody knows this. However, thanks to self-imposed payroll problems and a bad free agent class, Seattle is going to have to find some impact they can afford. Thankfully, Seattle has a solid farm system and a couple of young MLB players to dangle in trade talks, but they’ll need to find the right partner to make a deal happen.

Thankfully, the Tampa Bay Rays make a fantastic trade partner. Seattle and Tampa are no strangers to making deals, and the Rays have bats to give. They’ve also expressed a desire to add young pitching to replace Tyler Glasnow, who will inevitably be dealt this winter. There are plenty of options for Seattle to consider. Randy Arozarena is the most popular target and there is a lot of smoke around Isaac Paredes. There has also been plenty said about Brandon Lowe and some said about Harold Ramirez (though still not enough).

But what about Yandy Diaz? You know, the guy coming off a 164 wRC+ season? The man who was just one of five players to hit at least .300/.400/.500 last season. Yeah, that one. The man who finished 5th in wRC+ and even produced a 146 wRC+ in 2022. Diaz, simply put, is a bad man in the batter’s box.

Diaz epitomizes Seattle’s old “control the zone” mantra, ranking in the 86th percentile in K% and whiff %, 92nd percentile in chase rate, and 79th percentile in BB%. He also torches pitches in the zone ranking in the 98th percentile in average exit velocity and the 97th percentile hard hit %.

Diaz isn’t the perfect player. He’s a poor defender who helps you best as a DH. He also hits a ton of groundballs and struggles to lift the ball which limits his impressive raw power to fringe average in-game power. He’s also 32-years-old. But Seattle needs offense, particularly offense that is making below market value (thanks John). To that end, Diaz is set to make just $8 million next year and $10 million in 2025. Diaz also has a $12 million team option for the 2026 season.

So why aren’t we discussing the actual star that the Rays have on offense? Well, it’s a bit complicated. While Diaz may be the player to target, Tampa has a say as well. Arozarena is already making more than Diaz and is the worse player. Tampab also has Harold Ramirez, who while not as good as Diaz, is certainly going to garner trade attention around the league. Simply put, Tampa may need to trade a bat, but it doesn’t mean they need to, or should, trade Diaz.

So if Tampba is unlikely to trade him, why is he even worth the discussion? Because, unlike some suitors, Seattle might have the pitching required to get the Rays interested. A lot of players will suddenly become available if the Mariners are willing to talk about Logan Gilbert.

Now, I’m not suggesting the Mariners should or would trade Gilbert for Diaz straight up. They probably shouldn’t. Without a viable replacement to Gilbert who is at least a high-end #3 starter, a straight-up deal would represent a “rob Peter to pay Paul” proposition. But if Seattle could fill multiple holes on their roster by moving Gilbert, they may have to consider it.

Additionally, it’s no sure thing that Tampa would require Gilbert from Seattle. In fact, thanks to his reduced salary, the Rays may prefer Bryce Miller. While Miller may not carry the load for Diaz, a Miller + package for Diaz could make the difference. Perhaps the Rays want to dump the salary of Brandon Lowe or Manuel Margot. That could also lessen the cost for Seattle.

What seems increasingly likely is that Seattle and Tampa could trade multiple pieces to one another. The Mariners, for example, could use some bullpen help. The Rays have bullpen arms. Perhaps Diaz and Shawn Armstrong for Miller and Jonatan Clase. Or, perhaps the Rays are prepared to go massive to acquire Logan Gilbert and would be willing to part with Diaz and Aroazrena for Gilbert.

At the end of the day, it seems unlikely the Mariners and Rays line up for a basic, 1-for-1 swap for Yandy Diaz. But when two creative and aggressive front offices engage in trade talks, you can’t rule out anything.