3 former Mariners trade targets who are lighting up 2025 spring training

It is not exactly a secret that the Seattle Mariners did not have the best offseason. Nor is this any kind of hot take, as it's one shared by everyone from pundits to former players.

However, somewhere out there is an alternative universe in which the Mariners were not only more active, but more successful in pulling off seismic hot-stove transactions. This is the one in which they actually made some of the trades they were rumored to be involved with right here in our universe.

Not all of these misses look regrettable (sorry, Nolan Arenado) as spring training winds toward its conclusion. But three players, at least, who were connected to the Mariners might have fans thinking twice with the shows they're putting on this spring.

CF/1B Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees

About a month after the Chicago Cubs traded him to the Yankees, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reported that the Mariners had "kicked the tires" on Bellinger, whose accolades include an NL Rookie of the Year from 2017 and an NL MVP from 2019.

At the time of the trade, Bellinger was fresh off a mediocre 2024 season in which he mustered a .751 OPS and 2.2 WAR. Yet he's been nothing short of a revelation for the Yankees this spring, playing in 17 games and slashing .426/.471/.723 with three home runs.

Whereas Bellinger averaged just 87.8 mph on his batted balls in 2024, his tracked balls this spring have registered at 93.6 mph. Small sample size and all, but it'll do for an encouraging early sign for his power.

The Yankees mostly sacrificed payroll space to get Bellinger, giving up Cody Poteet and receiving $5 million from the Cubs against Bellinger's $52.5 million in remaining salary. It's a trade the Mariners could have also made...if Jerry Dipoto had been given more than a reported $15 million budget.

3B Alec Bohm, Philadephia Phillies

There was speculation aplenty early in the offseason about the Mariners pulling off a trade for Bohm. And as Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reported on December 4, talks with the Phillies did take place.

Bohm's trade value was a little uncertain at the time. He had been an All-Star in 2024, but he had also gotten himself benched amid a cold stretch in the playoffs. There have also been reports — including one from Matt Gelb of The Athletic — that the 28-year-old's attitude was an issue.

He's obviously still a Phillie, however, and he sure looks ready to put last year's bad noise behind him. His slash line is at .357/.404/.643 through 14 games, with three homers and three doubles.

Bohm's exit velocity is likewise up, from 90.5 mph in 2024 to 91.2 mph this spring. It feels like a tease that he'll reach a new level in 2025, perhaps going from a hitter with a .280-ish average and 20-homer power to more like a .300 hitter with 25-homer power.

Even still, this is one trade that the Mariners are probably fine with not having pulled off. Jorge Polanco (.927 OPS) looks ready to have the bounce-back season as Seattle's new third baseman. And according to Jude, the Phillies had been asking for Logan Gilbert or George Kirby (an easy "nope" for Seattle) in exchange for Bohm.

1B Josh Naylor, Arizona Diamondbacks

Naylor is another guy the Mariners were linked to in December, with Jon Morosi of MLB Network reporting that he had been "mentioned" in trade talks with the Cleveland Guardians.

Naylor ultimately landed with Arizona, and he can now be seen teasing a different sort of approach. He's mainly known for his power (i.e., 31 homers in 2024), but this spring he's batting .395 with eight walks against four strikeouts.

Meanwhile in Mariners camp, first base is another area that isn't necessarily unsettled, but which is something of a question mark nonetheless. Just as Polanco is a converted second baseman at the hot corner, Luke Raley is a converted corner outfielder at the cold corner. More broadly, Seattle's projected offense is largely the same one that led MLB in strikeouts in 2024.

As for what it might have cost Seattle to attain Naylor as a true regular at first base, the Diamondbacks got him for a modest package consisting of minor league righty Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance pick.

In other words, this is another player the Mariners conceivably could have been able to get. And like with Bellinger, any fans who are now wishing that the team had made the deal have a legitimate gripe.