Latest Diamondbacks rumor is a huge opportunity for Mariners ahead of trade deadline

The conclusion of the All-Star break brings about the second half of the regular season. For most teams, the primary focus (aside from winning games, of course) is the trade deadline.

Over the next few weeks, organizations will finish categorizing themselves as either buyers or sellers, determining current and future roster needs, and identifying their most valuable big league and prospect talent. With the Seattle Mariners still holding a Wild Card spot, most are anticipating them to be aggressive in the pursuit of help and a former trade partner could be the ideal candidate to help them get to the next level.

The Mariners have what the Diamondbacks are looking for

It has been quite the disastrous season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Unfortunately positioned in a hotly contested NL West division, the scrappy squad held their own until the weight of injuries became too large a burden to bear.

Corbin Burnes, the team's shiny new ace who signed a $210 million contract this past offseason, had to undergo Tommy John surgery following an injury in June. Other key pieces like A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez will also be sidelined with long-term injuries, while Shelby Miller, Pavin Smith, and Gabriel Moreno have had shorter but still meaningful tenures on the injured list. Compounded with the expiring contracts of Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Josh Naylor, and Eugenio Suárez, it's no wonder that Arizona is throwing in the towel for 2025.

According to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks are hoping to target pitching talent to hold them over for the first portion of next season while Burnes works his way back. The Mariners are known for their pitching development but are comparatively light on prospect arms. Of their top ten prospects, just two are pitchers: Jurrangelo Cijntje and Ryan Sloan.

Seattle's top pick in the most recent draft brought another top-tier pitching talent, but he won't be eligible to be traded until after the World Series as per MLB regulations. Although neither will be a prospect by the end of the season, Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans have plenty of team control left and depending on how Arizona feels about their upside, the duo could serve as the core components of a package for offensive help.

A pain point for this year's Mariners' roster has been third base and a reunion with Suárez could solve that. He's on track to have the best offensive season of his career, currently sitting at a 142 OPS+ while leading the National League in RBI (78). He recently stated that he did have a soft spot for the city of Seattle, and he'd bring a real corner infield power bat, something the Mariners are grossly lacking.

Josh Naylor is a slightly less impressive but still impactful version of the same profile. His 127 OPS+ and well-rounded approach at the plate could help save the team from yet another Donovan Solano cold streak at first base.

A lot can happen in the second half of the season. Even though the Mariners currently have a 72.2 percent chance to make the playoffs per FanGraphs, one bad week from them or a great week from one of their rivals could quickly turn their entire year upside down.

The last time the Mariners did a deal with the Diamondbacks at the deadline, they sold Paul Sewald for a trio of young players and watched as their former closer helped take Arizona to the World Series. This time, the roles are swapped. Seattle needs all the help and depth they can get if they want to maximize their championship equity, and the Diamondbacks could have the pieces they need to get there.