2 former Mariners prospects thriving with new teams, 2 who are crashing

The Seattle Mariners might have the best farm system in the American League, but that may not still be the case a few weeks from now. Whether it's for an impact reliever, a right-handed bat or even another rotation piece, Jerry Dipoto is likely to ship out some prospects ahead of the August 3 trade deadline.

If you want to look on the bright side, Dipoto has mostly had a good feel for which prospects to trade (and when) during his decade-long tenure as Seattle's president of baseball operations. But since even he has his share of misses, it's worth putting both sides of the coin under the microscope.

Here's a look at former Mariners prospects who have and haven't taken off since departing the system for other pastures.

In Arizona, Brandyn Garcia is showing the Mariners what their bullpen is missing

Though Garcia isn't technically a prospect anymore, he has rookie eligibility for all of 2026. And he's indeed having a dandy of a rookie season for the Diamondbacks, making 20 appearances and pitching to a 2.55 ERA and a 0.849 WHIP. The 26-year-old southpaw has held lefties to a .530 OPS, and has even done one better with a .395 OPS against righties.

Garcia arrived in the desert by way of last year's trade for Josh Naylor, and his ascent this year makes that deal hit different in retrospect. If the Mariners could have a do-over, they'd sure like to keep Garcia for their own bullpen. It's been an impact arm short of a full deck all year, and having Garcia as a third lefty in tandem with Gabe Speier and Jose A. Ferrer would be huge amid a year in which left-handed hitters are hitting historically well.

In Los Angeles, Tyler Gough is looking like one who got away from the Mariners

When the Mariners acquired Robinson Ortiz from the Dodgers in November, it looked like one of those minor trades that would never amount to anything. And that's the way it's trending for the Mariners, as Ortiz has largely struggled (24 G, 5.54 ERA) for Triple-A Tacoma.

Yet whereas Gough, 22, was still recovering from Tommy John surgery at the time, he's been a sensation since he returned to the mound in May. He's already earned a ticket to Single-A Ontario, altogether posting a 1.93 ERA with 28 strikeouts against five walks over 23.1 innings. His changeup is a good-looking pitch that could make him a relief weapon if starting doesn't work out.

In St. Louis, Jurrangelo Cijntje is still trying to figure things out

On reputation if nothing else, Jurrangelo Cijntje was arguably the best prospect Dipoto traded last offseason. He was indeed the big prize for the Cardinals in the three-team Brendan Donovan trade, and one with an easy selling point: Dude's a switch-pitcher!

Except, that wasn't entirely true even at the time. And despite MLB's efforts to keep the illusion alive, it's at best a half-truth now as the 23-year-old Netherlands native navigates his second full season in the pro ranks. He has pitched almost exclusively right-handed, and has mostly been shelled for a 5.43 ERA and 1.441 WHIP over 59.2 innings. Notably, he's already allowed 11 home runs.

In Washington, Harry Ford is still trying to dig himself out of an early hole

There are polarizing trades, and then there are trades like the one that sent Harry Ford to the Nationals in exchange for Jose A. Ferrer. Even if the reality was always more complicated, a wide swath of Mariners fans saw it as a swap of a top-100 prospect for an anonymous lefty reliever.

Cut to now, and Ferrer has a 2.81 ERA in 36 appearances out of Seattle's pen. Ford, meanwhile, has a .211 average and .638 OPS for Triple-A Rochester after failing to win the Nationals' starting catcher job in spring training. His season has been getting better, as a .530 OPS in April has given way to a .716 OPS in May and an .824 OPS in June. Even so, neither MLB Pipeline nor Baseball America count him as a top-100 prospect any longer.

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