3 GM Meetings trade targets the Mariners should want nothing to do with

With the MLB General Managers Meetings now underway in Las Vegas, the league's hot stove is already heating up nicely.

This year's edition is unique, with a potential lockout looming like a dark cloud over the offseason. Given next season's uncertainty, trade discussions are reportedly already more advanced than at this point in a normal offseason. For teams like the Mariners, who have preferred the trade market to the free agent market under Jerry Dipoto, this likely means more competition and higher asking prices.

The Mariners are known for their deep pool of starting pitchers, and they showed their willingness to deal from strength when they traded away Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox last season. With a full five- or six-man rotation set for 2027, the Mariners could be aggressive and dangle another arm to patch some glaring holes in the lineup.

With that being said, the most recognizable trade targets are not always the best ones. Here are three big names available for trade that the Mariners should avoid at all costs.

3 trade targets that aren't worth the Mariners' time or effort

Trea Turner, SS, Philadelphia Phillies

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Phillies' All-Star shortstop, Trea Turner, is available on the trade market. Turner's name carries a lot of value, but a closer look at the underlying numbers shows that the 33-year-old is showing some aggressive regression at the plate. Despite leading the majors in at-bats in 2026, Turner posted the lowest OPS (.675) of his 12-year career and saw his strikeout rate rise by more than 25% from the year before. These are both classic signs of a 33-year-old batter in a career decline.

Add that to an at-best mediocre defensive profile and a hefty $300 million contract that runs through 2033, and Turner should be an easy no for Dipoto and the Mariners. Shortstop is certainly a position that the M's need to address this offseason, but taking on a declining player who appears to be past their prime is not the answer.

Ketel Marte, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks

Fresh off the very public falling out between the D-backs and Marte, it should come as no surprise that the All-Star second baseman is back on the trade block this offseason. Arizona had the chance to trade him last year, but didn't get the offer they wanted. Now Marte has no-trade rights and is in the driver's seat with regard to where he could potentially land.

Luckily, the Mariners are not in desperate need at the keystone position. In his first full season with the Mariners, Cole Young nabbed the Gold Glove award for second base and held his own at the dish as well. While Marte would be an offensive upgrade over Young, he comes with a lot of baggage and a beefy contract that will see him get paid at least $20 million per season from 2028 through 2030.

Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles

Of these three options, Henderson is definitely the most attractive. He is just three years removed from winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award and two years removed from finishing fourth in AL MVP voting. But in 2025 and 2026, Henderson saw his numbers fall off a cliff, posting a career-worst OPS (.712) last season. Defensively, Henderson led the majors in fielding assists in 2026 with 367, but also led the AL in errors for the second time in three years.

He is under team control until 2028, so the Orioles do not have much incentive to trade him, although early indications are that he is not planning to re-sign in Baltimore. Unless, of course, they get the opportunity to improve their very below-average rotation with a young starter. Team control also did not stop them from trading catcher Adley Rutschman last year, within their own division, no less.

Henderson is definitely intriguing, but pairing him with a 21-year-old Colt Emerson on the left side of the infield probably isn't an ideal defensive setup for Seattle's foreseeable future. If the Mariners are going to trade from their rotation, the returning player needs to be a certainty. Henderson has superstar potential, no doubt, but his decline over the past couple of seasons should give any organization pause, especially ahead of an anticipated long-term deal in 2028.

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