Seattle Mariners rumors: Three potential trade targets before tonight's deadline

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As the clock strikes 12:00 AM on the east coast tonight, all 30 MLB teams will no longer be able to make trades for players with postseason eligibility. The Mariners, now four-and-a-half games out of a playoff spot entering the final month of the season, will be busy over these next handful of hours to add talent to make a final push.

Jerry Dipoto has never been one to settle, which makes his relatively silent month of August rather odd. Yesterday, Dipoto made his first deal of the waiver trade period, acquiring 32-year-old utility player Kristopher Negron from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

This was not the splashy move Mariners fans have been holding out for, though expectations should have always been tempered. Still, there are some decent pieces left on the market and the Mariners have just as good of a shot as any other team to swing a deal.

Considering Dipoto’s aggressive past in the month of August, settling on Negron and no other player seems unlikely. The Mariners have a few needs, and fortunately have timing on their side and the financial fortitude to get a deal done.

So, who would be a realistic addition to the Mariners roster at this point? Well, with the rosters expanding to 40 tomorrow, anyone is truly up for grabs. However, the three players that I’ll mention seem to make the most sense.

OF CURTIS GRANDERSON

KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 15: Curtis Granderson #18 of the Toronto Blue Jays runs past third base after hitting a grand slam home run against the Kansas City Royals during the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium on August 15, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Brian Davidson/Getty Images) /

The Mariners already have four great-to-solid outfield bats on their roster, two of them being left-handed, but adding another to thicken their bench wouldn’t be the worst idea.

Granderson, 37, cleared revocable waivers earlier this month and is expected to be traded at some point today, per Bob Nightengale.

In 103 games this season, Granderson is slashing .243/.340/.429 with a 110 wRC+. He’s been a poor defensive outfielder this season, so he’d mainly serve as a pinch-hitting threat with the occasional start.

His 12.7% walk rate on the year would rank first among all Mariners hitters with at least 300 plate appearances. That would be a pretty big add to an offense that has struggled to consistently manufacture traffic on the base paths.

Granderson is currently playing on a one-year, $5 million contract. In short, adding the veteran outfielder would not be a financially straining move in any way for the M’s.

Trade likelihood: 35%

UTL JOSH HARRISON

PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 17: Josh Harrison #5 of the Pittsburgh Pirates attempts a throw to first base in the sixth inning during the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on August 17, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

The Pirates strangely attempted to be buyers at last month’s trade deadline and immediately failed to make any push for the playoffs. Consequently, they’re now attempting to sell before the day is out.

The 30-year-old utility infielder is still under club control until the 2020 season for roughly $20 million, though he has a $1.5 million buyout in the offseason. Currently playing on a salary of $10 million, the remainder would be a pretty hefty add to the Mariners’ payroll at this point in the season.

But if any team can afford to add such a contract, it would be the Mariners, who have a need to load up on infield depth.

Harrison has held his own in the field, but has struggled at the plate. In essence, adding Harrison would be like adding a second Dee Gordon, in terms of the similar tools they bring and their extremely low OBP (.299 and .298 respectively). Harrison hasn’t been as much of a base stealing threat as he once was, however.

All that said, Harrison would fit rather nicely as a bench piece for the Mariners. If he balls out, then the M’s don’t have to worry about retaining him; if not, the $1.5 million buyout isn’t too bad of a cost to bear.

Trade likelihood: 30%

LHP GIO GONZALEZ

PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 29: Starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez #47 of the Washington Nationals delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 29, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

It is well-documented that Gio Gonzalez has had a very poor second half of the 2018 season. But the Mariners, like many other teams, need starting pitching and there isn’t a whole lot of it.

Gonzalez would bring playoff and high-leverage experience to a Mariners rotation that has been in limbo for the past month. Sure, Gonzalez’s struggles are of serious concern, but he’s consistently been worth roughly 3.0 fWAR since the 2010 season.

The likeliest scenario is that he gets things turned around at some point, and a change of scenery to a playoff contender like the Mariners could spark a successful reboot.

The Mariners have acknowledged the idea of eventually turning to a six-man rotation at some point this season. With Marco Gonzales on the mend and James Paxton returning from the disabled list tomorrow, Gio would allow the Mariners to enact such a plan by the time Marco returns.

Trade likelihood: 65%

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Seattle Mariners rumors: Three potential trade targets before tonight’s deadline