Free-falling Mariners are coming face-to-face with an ugly trade deadline truth

June hasn't been the best month for the Seattle Mariners. They've only managed to win two games and they looked anything but competitive in their most recent series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Although they're still in striking distance for the AL West lead and a Wild Card spot and some experts are still predicting them to be buyers at the deadline, they find themselves 4.0 games behind a surging Houston Astros team and their odds to make the postseason have fallen below 50 percent. To make matters worse, their recent slew of poor performances may not even be their biggest issue.

The Mariners' whiff on Leody Taveras could be a huge problem at the trade deadline

Acquiring Leody Taveras was a slightly risky move, as it was likely made under the assumption that if he played in line with his 2023 numbers, he'd be a necessary replacement for an injured Victor Robles.

The downside of this was that they'd take on the remaining $3.7 million of his contract. If things had worked out with Taveras, the Mariners may not have had to increase the payroll by much more at the deadline, perhaps acquiring a platoon bat and a bullpen arm. But with the way things have been going, they both need more help and have a lower budget to work with. This exacerbates the amount of money Seattle is paying players that aren't taking the field, such as the $15.5 million they still owe to Mitch Haniger despite releasing him prior to the start of the season.

As things currently stand, Seattle's payroll is projected at $156 million, which is a small but still notable increase over the $143 million they spent last year. This still places them on the lower end of MLB teams, and they're the cheapest team in the AL West other than the Athletics (who saw that coming?).

John Stanton, current owner of the Mariners, didn't offer a clear answer on whether he intends to increase payroll when he was asked at the end of last year, but the historical precedent would suggest that the team's salaries are staying right where they are.

Things could be slightly different if another team decides to make a bid for Taveras' services. But given his disappointing numbers, it's not a very likely outcome. Sure, he's only 26 years old. But since the Rangers' World Series run, he has slashed .223/.273/.339 over 709 plate appearances while accumulating -12 Defensive Runs Saved.

More likely than not, he'll stick around the organization, which leaves the front office with a tough decision. Should they push the budget and try to make the most out of what little championship equity they have this season, or wave the white flag in defeat and sell at the deadline?

They have about seven weeks to decide, which leaves plenty of room for the scales to be tipped in either direction.