3 players who must be on Mariners' wish list ahead of 'aggressive' trade deadline

The Seattle Mariners tend to be a pretty sleepy team during the offseason, when the price tags on the most impactful free agents hover around the nine-figure mark. However, when it comes to the trade deadline, they tend to be one of the more active clubs. They made moves last year to acquire several names, including Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner.

This year, they're being described as one of the more "aggressive" buyers at the deadline by Bob Nightengale of USA Today. While some positions have been outstanding this season, others haven't been quite as successful. So in order to make it back to October, who are some names Seattle should be taking a closer look at?

DH Marcell Ozuna

This has been another year of disappointing production from the designated hitter position in Seattle. The team has gotten a cumulative .638 OPS from its DHs to rank 25th in MLB. Although Jorge Polanco had a scorching start to the season, he's only managed a .412 OPS over his past 80 plate appearances. Other names on the depth chart such as Mitch Garver, Rowdy Tellez, and Donovan Solano have made it clear that the team needs a better bat in the lineup.

Marcell Ozuna has been one of the best hitters in baseball over the past three seasons, averaging a 145 OPS+ and placing fourth in NL MVP voting in 2024. This year, his power has taken a slight dip but his absurd 18.1 walk percentage and .395 on-base percentage are on pace to be the highest mark for a full season in his career. And even though his slugging percentage isn't quite where it was in 2023 or 2024, his quality of contact numbers are still great across the board.

Given the disaster that has been the Atlanta Braves' season so far, he's their top trade asset since he's set to hit free agency in 2026. He seems like a great fit for the Mariners whose offense has begun to slip once again, and whose run prevention unit can still hold their own against the more competitive squads in MLB.

3B Miguel Vargas

The Mariners infield was known to be a flight risk heading into the season, and the hot corner was a position that many felt needed an upgrade, especially since the team has failed to get a great hot corner bat since Eugenio Suárez. Ben Williamson was an exciting prospect upon initially being called up, but his lackluster 81 OPS+ has only been compensated for by his above-average defense.

Miguel Vargas could be one of the few impactful third basemen on a non-contending team as the Chicago White Sox continue their stretch of mediocrity. Although he hasn't been the most consistent big leaguer, he's only 25 years old and, after a bad start, he posted an .899 OPS over the month of May. He makes good swing decisions and is barreling the ball up far more frequently than in years past.

Given his youth and team control through 2029, it's unclear as to whether the White Sox plan on building around him or using him to acquire their next core of talent, but he has been surfaced as a potential trade target for other teams.

1B Ryan O'Hearn

Similar to the team's struggles at the designated hitter position, the Mariners have failed to extract any offensive value from first base. Seattle first basemen have combined for a .626 OPS (25th in MLB) and it doesn't look things will change any time soon. With the tandem of Rowdy Tellez and Donovan Solano, both of whom are below replacement according to rWAR, the team is in dire need of a more capable slugger.

Ryan O'Hearn is one of the few silver linings of an otherwise disappointing Baltimore Orioles season. He's been a great presence in the lineup since he arrived on the team in 2023, but he has elevated himself to a whole new level this year, posting a 155 OPS+ over 223 plate appearances. Rather than pumping out extra-base hits at the cost of more strikeouts, O'Hearn has a more balanced approach as demonstrated by his slash line of .311/.395/.492 while striking out at a 17.9 percent clip. His quality of contact statistics are still great and for a team that's averaging .240 collectively, getting more balls in play could be more beneficial than a few extra homers.

O'Hearn has been discussed as a potential acquisition target for Seattle by quite a few people. He could bring quite a bit of value to the team, filling in one of the most glaring weaknesses in the current lineup. With his free agency pending in 2026 and the Orioles all but out of playoff contention, the Mariners would be remiss to not prioritize him at this year's deadline.