3 reunions Mariners should absolutely pursue ahead of 2026 MLB Trade Deadline

Eugenio Suárez is back in Seattle, and strictly as a visitor this time. Once the veteran slugger and the Cincinnati Reds are done with their three-game set against the Mariners, they'll move on and there will almost certainly be no talks about a third trade to bring "Geno" back to the Pacific Northwest.

It's worth bringing up just to highlight just how much things have changed since last year. All of Mariners fandom was elated when the club struck a deal to get him from the Arizona Diamondbacks last July. But whereas Suárez had 36 home runs and an .897 OPS at the time, 124 games since then have yielded a .682 OPS and 25 homers.

Also on the topic of potential reunions, a deal with the New York Mets involving Jorge Polanco is more of an interesting idea than a good one. If there's a cash-neutral bad contract swap to be made, then sure. But anything other than that, no thank you.

The Mariners should actually check in on Luke Weaver, Riley O'Brien and Ty France

All that said, Jerry Dipoto came out of the All-Star break and gave life to recent rumors about the Mariners wanting to upgrade their bullpen and their offense against left-handed pitching. And there are some reunions they can pursue that would do the trick.

RHP Luke Weaver, New York Mets

Luke Weaver was only a Mariner for a hot minute (i.e., five appearances) back in 2023, and that was at a time when he seemed on the verge of flaming out of the majors. The next thing anyone knew, he was the closer for the New York Yankees during their World Series run in 2024.

Weaver is now in the first season of a two-year, $22 million deal with the New York Mets, who have made it known that they're open for business. And on paper, he's precisely the kind of arm Dan Wilson needs in the pen. The 32-year-old has been challenging a 4.0 K/BB ratio like clockwork since 2024, and that changeup of his is a useful safety blanket against left-handed batters. Their OPS against him has been in the .500s in each of the last three years.

The money Weaver is owed is probably a bit steep for the Mariners, but that could be resolved if Steve Cohen is willing to pay down a chunk of it to get a better prospect return. Notably, he did exactly that when he greenlit trades of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer in the club's last big sell-off in 2023.

RHP Riley O'Brien, St. Louis Cardinals

When Riley O'Brien pitched for the Mariners in 2022, it was a classic "Local Boy Makes Good" story. He was born in Seattle and later pitched for Everett Community College. But it was literally just the one appearance, and he ended up getting sent to the Cardinals for cash in 2023.

Well, now look at him. O'Brien was an All-Star for the first time as a 31-year-old this month, and there's more to like than just his NL-leading 25 saves. He's gone all-in on trusting his 98 mph sinker, throwing it nearly 60 percent of the time and racking up ground balls accordingly. His GB% is in the 92nd percentile.

Even though the Cardinals are 51-47, O'Brien's $795,050 salary only makes him more of an obvious "sell high" candidate for Chaim Bloom. His demands would likely stretch Dipoto's comfort zone, but one thing he has a good feel for is knowing which prospects to trade and when.

1B Ty France, San Diego Padres

With their playoff push having long since lost steam, A.J. Preller knows the Padres need to be "open-minded" ahead of the trade deadline. And while the guy we really want around these parts is Mason Miller, Ty France can come, too.

The 32-year-old spent parts of five seasons with the Mariners between 2020 and 2024, and things weren't great when he left town in a deal with the Reds in the latter season. But then he won a Gold Glove and played in the World Series last year, and he's now rocking an .871 OPS and 14 home runs in 2026. More to the point, he has a .966 OPS against lefties.

France is only earning $1.35 million, so his salary shouldn't be a barrier to a trade as far as Seattle is concerned. Ideally, Rob Refsnyder would get his act together and he and France could form a platoon partnership with Dominic Canzone at DH and Luke Raley in right field.

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