Giants trade buzz could give Mariners an excuse to press pause on Colt Emerson

On a surface level, the Mariners look impressive in entering Tuesday's action having allowed the seventh-fewest runs in the majors. However, this hasn't been helped by a defense that has suffered repeated lapses and ranks 27th with a horrendous -10.2 defensive fWAR. As such, the latest trade speculation is something which should interest the fanbase, as a way to strengthen one of the weakest defensive positions but also not rush the future.

As we covered over the weekend, it sure looks like the Giants will be sellers, something which has now been reinforced by Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Nightengale listed four players they would love to offload in order to start over, including Matt Chapman. And the idea of the Mariners adding a player who's proven to be one of the best third basemen in the majors during the past decade is certainly appealing, especially with Brendan Donovan having struggled at the hot corner.

For all the understandable clamor to call Colt Emerson up as soon as possible, he's been tested by Triple-A pitching and still has areas of his game he needs to work on. It also isn't fair to put extra pressure on the top-rated prospect to be a Mariners savior of sorts, and bringing Chapman in would take away any sense of urgency.

Matt Chapman offers a solution which helps the Mariners both this season and beyond

With Jerry Dipoto having previously said J.P. Crawford will remain at shortstop in the final year of his deal, Emerson would get more time to develop in Tacoma. He can then take over at his long-term position for the M's from next season, after Crawford has more than likely left. As for Donovan, this is where his defensive versatility comes into play, with him able to play at any number of positions to help the club and keep his bat in the lineup.

Chapman isn't off to the best of starts at the plate this season, but you have to figure the power will come around eventually for someone with a career .782 OPS and 117 OPS+. And while he's not quite at the same level defensively as during his time in Oakland, he's won two of his five Gold Gloves since leaving in 2021. Pure and simple, the Mariners desperately need his glove.

Critics may have some concern about Chapman still having four years left on his deal after this season and with him already being 33. However, at $25 million per season it's fairly reasonable, especially if Mariners ownership wants to further prove they're all-in on winning now.

Something which adds feasibility to all of this is that the Mariners have expressed interest in Chapman on at least two occasions previously. The Marine Layer Podcast indicated the M's wanted him badly ahead of the 2022 season, while Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported the possibility was discussed again heading into the 2024 campaign.

Whether this comes to fruition remains to be seen, but the pros do outweigh any cons if the M's can get their man at the third time of asking.

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