ESPN's 2025 trade deadline preview features an absurd Mariners trade candidate

We might only be in the first four weeks of the 2025 Major League season, but teams are already at least partly thinking ahead to the trade deadline on July 31. The same goes for ESPN, who have unveiled their early MLB 2025 trade deadline preview for all 30 teams, including the Seattle Mariners.

We appreciate that David Schoenfield has put a lot of time and effort into his preview, but his take on a potential trade candidate for the Mariners is, quite frankly, asinine. In fact, it automatically makes you think of the hot takes ESPN is notorious for offering on a far too regular basis, with the loud Stephen A. Smith representing the prime example.

Schoenfield has selected Logan Gilbert as a trade candidate if the Mariners fall out of contention, explaining that he would bring in a blockbuster return. In that respect the ESPN writer is correct, but there are several reasons why he is wrong to choose the 2024 All-Star as a potential trade candidate.

Hard to imagine the Mariners not contending

To begin with, it's tough to envision the Mariners being so bad that they decide to become a seller rather than a buyer at the trade deadline. The AL West in particular and the American League in general does not appear to have any truly outstanding teams, which should help keep the M's in contention.

The Mariners have one of the more talented rosters overall in the AL, certainly good enough to finish with one of the six playoff spots. Let's also not forget this is a team which has been consistent in recent years, as one of only five Major League teams with 85-plus wins in each of the past four seasons.

Secondly, we can appreciate that any return package for Gilbert could contain a promising prospect or two, but is that really what the Mariners need at this juncture? They've continually drafted well during the Jerry Dipoto era and, as per MLB Pipeline, they had the number five farm system ahead of this season, headlined by the likes of Colt Emerson, Lazaro Montes and Cole Young.

Logan Gilbert among the very best in the Majors

The other reason trading Gilbert would be so absurd is that he is arguably the best starter in baseball, never mind just on the Mariners' pitching staff. He's coming off a season where he proved both his talent and durability by, among other things, leading the majors with career-bests of a 0.887 WHIP and 208.2 innings.

If it's possible, the 27-year-old looks even better so far in 2025 and is a genuine contender to win the Cy Young Award just one season after finishing sixth in voting. The Mariners have control of him through 2027 and have been more than open about wanting to extend him, which is at least theoretically more feasible now that his close friend Cal Raleigh has signed his own long-term deal.

As a final thought, can you just imagine the uproar in Seattle if the Mariners did decide to trade Gilbert?It would be the last straw for a lot of fans, who are already fed up after years of the window for substantial financial contributions being continually but back and seeing just one playoff appearance since 2001.

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