ESPN's bold Mariners trade prediction falls completely apart on 1 name

Bold predictions are a thing because nobody would click on anything that promised "safe predictions." This is just how it is, and the trick to enjoying these things is to just try to appreciate a big swing when you see one.

As an example, David Schoenfield's prediction for the remainder of the Seattle Mariners' offseason is properly bold. As part of a round-up of bold predictions at ESPN, he proposed the following trade with the New York Mets:

• Mariners get: 3B/2B Brett Baty
• Mets get: RHP/LHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, RHP Matt Brash

This reads as a solid proposal for the most part. Baty is an infield bat the likes of which the Mariners have been seeking. Cijntje is a talented prospect who also seems to be expendable, while… wait a second, does that say Matt Brash?

ESPN's bold Mariners trade prediction falls apart on Matt Brash's name

It sure does, and that's where this trade proposal begins to make sense — for the Mets only.

The Mets don't need Baty after signing Bo Bichette to play third base alongside Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco. They do need a reliever, not to mention some prospect depth after sacrificing Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to get Freddy Peralta from Milwaukee.

For the Mariners, however, there's the inconvenient reality that Brash is the No. 2 option in Dan Wilson's bullpen.

He hardly missed a beat after sitting out the 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, making 53 appearances and pitching to a 2.47 ERA in the regular season. He then followed with a 2.00 ERA in eight playoff appearances.

Maybe you can make the case that Brash is expendable because of the addition of Jose A. Ferrer, who the Mariners are very high on. But that doesn't quite hold water. The bullpen was a man short of true excellence in 2025, and Ferrer's role seems to be as the guy who'll bridge the gap.

There's also the question of whether Baty is the right guy for the Mariners to be targeting in any capacity.

He does have value after posting 3.1 rWAR last year, in which he combined a solid 111 OPS+ with improved defense on the infield. Yet this followed a three-year run in which he wasn't even a replacement-level player, and his profile doesn't map onto what the Mariners need. He's a power-first hitter with swing-and-miss issues, and the Mariners already have those in good supply.

This is another way of saying that Brendan Donovan remains the best prize out there for Seattle on the trade market. And while getting him could cost Cijntje, it's doubtful that the St. Louis Cardinals would have any interest in Brash. Rebuilding clubs don't generally flock to relief pitchers who are no longer pre-arbitration-eligible.

In keeping with the original thesis here, one really does appreciate that Schoenfield took a big swing. He understood the assignment. But in all honesty, simply going with Baty-for-Cijntje would have been bold enough.