3 Mariners trade targets who already need to be on Jerry Dipoto's deadline radar

With both injuries and losses piling up, the Seattle Mariners are firmly in a "going through it" phase right now. But since neither the AL West nor the rest of the American League is burying them, Jerry Dipoto and the front office must still be thinking about buying ahead of the August 3 trade deadline.

And the best part? This club shouldn't have that many holes to fill once the deadline creeps closer.

These are the trade candidates who could solve the problems the Mariners are having

The Mariners have already called on Colt Emerson to be a new regular, while Cal Raleigh, Brendan Donovan, Matt Brash and Gabe Speier will hopefully be back off the IL well before the trade deadline. As such, Dipoto and company can narrow their sights on just three trade needs.

Casey Schmitt, San Francisco Giants

Because Emerson could be locked into third base by the time Donovan comes off the IL, the latter seems ticketed for a super-utility role off the bench once he's back. The hope here is that this permanently spells the end for Leo Rivas, who was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.

Even then, the Mariners could still do better than Connor Joe as a versatile bench jockey who is also ostensibly a weapon against left-handed pitching. Assuming the Giants go into sell mode and are willing to hear offers on the 27-year-old, Casey Schmitt would be perfect.

He's mostly played first base for the Giants this year, but he clearly fits better as a rover for the other three spots on the infield. And even if his 148 OPS+ doesn't pass the smell test, his contact quality is strong and, crucially, he's punishing lefties to the tune of a .362 batting average.

Taylor Ward, Baltimore Orioles

Joe isn't the only bench guy for whom the Mariners need to be looking for an upgrade. Rob Refsnyder wasn't doing the one job he's meant to do in April, and it's only gotten worse since then. He's 7-for-60 for the season.

This sounds like a job for Taylor Ward. He's a good hitter in general, including this year thanks to a .419 OBP that compensates for the fact he only has one home run. And for his career, he owns an .828 OPS and a 130 wRC+ against left-handed pitching.

With Seattle, the 32-year-old Ward could fill the exact part-time corner outfield/DH role that has been wasted on Refsnyder. And even though the Orioles and Giants have basically the same record, Ward is also a more realistic target than Schmitt. Whereas Schmitt is under club control through 2029, Ward is set for free agency this winter.

Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox

Since they're only 2.0 games out in the AL wild-card race, you can make the case that the Red Sox should hang in there even though they're 20-27. Yet the reality is that their roster is a mess of ill-fitting parts, so it should be a matter of time before they cut their losses.

To this end, Aroldis Chapman stands to become a major trade piece for the umpteenth time in his career. He's only signed for this year and, even at 38 years old, is pitching as well as he ever has. His 84 appearances for Boston since the start of last year have yielded a 1.04 ERA.

Seattle's bullpen ranks third in the league in ERA, but the injuries to Brash and Speier should have the front office looking around for a security blanket for Andrés Muñoz. And even before those two guys got hurt, the pen still felt like it was one late-inning arm short of being truly secure.

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