The only 5 Mariners who are untouchable in trade talks

Marco Gonzales

Marco Gonzales is clearly going nowhere. There has been some buzz on Twitter over the last year that Gonzales could be a trade piece but the Mariners front office is making it quite clear that they want Marco to be a part of the rebuild as well.

Before the 2020 season, the Mariners signed Marco to an extension to keep him in Seattle 2 years longer than his team control at 4 years $30 million with a 1 year $15 million team option in 2025. He rewarded Seattle by giving them the best year of his career with a 3.10 ERA and a 3.32 FIP in 11 starts during the shortened 2020 season.

Because of his team-friendly contract, Gonzales will definitely draw some interest from competing teams but the Mariners giving of that contract is a clear signal that they don’t want Gonzales going anywhere.

It would take an offer bigger than the one Seattle received for Austin Nola for them to even think about moving Gonzales but even then I still see them saying he is off the table. Fellow Sodo Mojo writer Ryota Nishino wrote a blog about what the Mariners return could be for Gonzales based on Baseball Trade Values evaluation of Marco’s value and it is quite a lot. It might even make you think it could be worth it if a desperate competing team comes calling at the trade deadline. Yet still, I repeat, Seattle is not letting Gonzales go.