3 trade deadline targets Mariners must avoid like their lives depend on it

The 2026 Seattle Mariners are proof that a team can be both good enough for first place, and still going through a slog of a season. And since the goal is nothing less than a trip to the World Series, they have to be eyeing the August 3 trade deadline as a source of salvation. Just about anything and anyone should be on the table.

Just not, you know, everything and everyone.

The needs are clear. The Mariners are treating the eventual returns of Matt Brash, Cooper Criswell and Carlos Vargas as if they'll be trade deadline additions, but the bullpen needs more even if that is the case. And given that the offense hasn't scored more than three runs since June 12, bats need to be on the menu, too.

Jarren Duran is not the outfielder the Mariners are looking for

It was Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN who casually suggested the Mariners as a fit for Jarren Duran, and we've already made the case that the ship has sailed. Unless something happens to Luke Raley or Dominic Canzone, the Mariners simply don't need another lefty-hitting outfielder

Moreover, Duran simply doesn't have the same appeal now that he had in his breakout season for the Boston Red Sox in 2024. A 132 OPS+ that year has given way to a 103 OPS+ ever since. The peripherals are no better, specifically in the sense that the 29-year-old is in the fourth percentile for whiff rate and the 10th percentile for strikeout rate.

Even further, this is a lefty hitter with a career .614 OPS against lefty pitchers. As such, he's one of the only guys the Mariners could get and risk having their MLB-worst .618 OPS against lefties go down.

Jo Adell is not the righty power bat the Mariners are looking for

Whereas left-handed hitters are having a banner year, 2026 has been more of a challenge for righty hitters. The Mariners know this as well as anyone, as production from righty hitters apart from Julio Rodríguez and Randy Arozarena has been practically nonexistent.

They can and should be looking to upgrade, specifically over Rob Refsnyder. But even if the Los Angeles Angels are willing to trade him — you never know with them — Jo Adell is simply too volatile for the Mariners to see as any kind of prize.

They know all too well that he can rob home runs, and it was only last year that he also sent 37 balls over the fence. The 27-year-old is nonetheless a career .225 hitter with a .279 OBP, with more than five times as many walks as strikeouts. And while his 109 wRC+ against lefties is decent, you want better than "decent" if you're going to use a righty hitter in a platoon role.

Pete Fairbanks is not the power reliever the Mariners are looking for

There actually is a bit of good news for the bullpen these days. After getting off a rough start, Andrés Muñoz has been lighting up the radar gun amid a run of four straight successful saves. Yet even after penciling in Brash, Criswell and Vargas underneath him, you can still see daylight for another reliever.

The Mariners could have had Pete Fairbanks as a free agent this past winter, as he had an $11 million option declined by the Tampa Bay Rays before he signed with the Miami Marlins for $13 million. And according to some metrics, the 32-year-old righty still has some of the best stuff of any reliever in MLB.

What he also has, though, is a 6.65 ERA that points to real flaws. He's walked 10.8 percent of the batters he's faced, and the 1.7 mph drop in his average fastball velocity since 2023 is taking a toll. Opposing batters have a .317 average and five home runs against it.

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