Kade Anderson's call-up starts the clock on an unavoidable Mariners trade

As of this moment, it remains unclear how the Seattle Mariners are going to fit Kade Anderson into their starting rotation for the rest of 2026. Yet whether he's used in a six-man rotation or a traditional five-man rotation, the writing is on the wall: Somebody has to go this winter.

Look, it's either this or the Mariners can commit to trotting out old experiments come 2027. They have tried the six-man rotation. They have also tried a five-man rotation with a dedicated piggyback tandem. Both have benefits. Both also have real drawbacks.

With a piggyback arrangement, you run the risk of having to deal with not one, but two disgruntled starting pitchers. With the six-man rotation, you get the double whammy of your best starters working less often and your bullpen picking up the same amount of work, except with one less arm.

Who goes if the Mariners commit to trading a starting pitcher during the offseason?

To this point in the Jerry Dipoto era, the Mariners have been reluctant to trade homegrown starters. The opportunities to do so have been there, but he's thoroughly committed to the bit of basing the team's identity around the young arms that he drafted.

However, it was only a few weeks ago that Dipoto's commitment got tested. While the Mariners' viability as a contender remained unclear before the August 3 trade deadline, the George Kirby and Emerson Hancock rumors were out there. They weren't of the oft-meaningless "so-and-so is interested" variety. They were of the more meaningful "the Mariners are listening" variety.

The idea was presumably to only trade a starter if it meant getting back a bat. That will presumably still be the idea if the Mariners go from listening to shopping during the winter. Goodness knows this team can't go into 2027 thinking it has enough offense.

The official position around these parts is that Kirby must be back on the table this winter. He occupies a sweet spot as a trade chip, as he's A) a declining asset Seattle should want to unload and B) still appealing enough to bring back real value. He's been an All-Star, and he's still just 28 years old and under team control through 2028.

Then again, there is an argument for selling high on Hancock after what's been a breakout year. The Mariners should also be thinking long and hard about whether there's any more to get out of Miller. Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert are less likely trade candidates, but nothing should be ruled out while each lacks an extension. That especially goes for Gilbert, who is due for free agency after 2027.

The borderline-funny part is that even if the Mariners do finally cash in a starter this winter, they won't be far off from having a rotation surplus all over again. After Anderson comes Ryan Sloan, who has at times been considered the better prospect of the two. If he isn't seen in Seattle by the end of this year as a reliever, he'll be knocking on the door as a starter early next year.

But you know what? That's a problem for another day. Once the Mariners reach the end of this season, all that should matter is cutting their rotation down to five guys and going from there.

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