Mariners can't let Rangers have all the fun robbing Angels before trade deadline

The Seattle Mariners learned something about the new-look Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. Namely, that they don't fear trading with AL West rivals and that they might not have a clue how to value players. Because, hoo boy, did the Texas Rangers rob them.

According to various reports, last night's trade between the Angels and Rangers is sending catcher Logan O'Hoppe and right-handed reliever Chase Silseth to Arlington and infield prospect Angel Arredondo to Anaheim. For his part, Angels interim GM John Mozeliak has the 19-year-old Arredondo down as "probably" a top-10 prospect in the system.

Well, if he says so. But MLB Pipeline didn't have Arredondo among the Rangers' top 30 prospects. And despite Mozeliak's insistence to a top-10 contrary, MLB Pipeline only has Arredondo rated as the Angels' No. 27 prospect. The arm and fielding grade well, but everything else is below average.

Take it away, JJ Cooper of Baseball America:

So yeah, it's a light return for O'Hoppe and Silseth. Even if O'Hoppe has disintegrated into a replacement-level catcher, he's still usable behind the dish. Silseth, meanwhile, has the kind of stuff to be a shutdown reliever if he ever learns to throw strikes.

Angels-Rangers trade should be an invitation for Mariners to try for an Anaheim heist

Meanwhile in Los Angeles proper, the Mariners unfortunately fell back into their usual malaise after a thrilling win over the Dodgers on Tuesday. A 4-2 loss on Wednesday dropped them back to three games under .500.

And yet, they remain closer to first place today (2.5 games) than they were on July 30 of last season (4.0 games). And as Adam Jude of The Seattle Times wrote as part of a piece on Cal Raleigh's outlook on the trade deadline, the win on Tuesday "reinforced the front office’s decision to again be aggressive at the deadline."

To this end, the Angels have some pieces that should interest Jerry Dipoto. Kirby Yates, Ryan Zeferjahn and Sam Bachman aren't Mason Miller, but each has the kind of stuff the Mariners need at the back end of the bullpen. And while Dipoto shouldn't waste his time inquiring about Mike Trout, Jo Adell and Jorge Soler aren't bad as Plan Bs for right-handed power bats.

The nuclear option, of course, is shortstop Zach Neto.

Yes, the Mariners have Colt Emerson at short. But no, that should not stop them from exploring the shortstop market. And Neto is arguably the best option on said market. He has an established baseline as a 5-WAR, 20-20 player. He's also 25 and under club control through 2029.

Before Wednesday, one could have assumed that any discussions about Neto would have had to start with, say, George Kirby or even Kade Anderson or Ryan Sloan. Thanks to Mozeliak, though, it's now possible to dream smaller. Perhaps Mozeliak would be fine with Lazaro Montes or Michael Arroyo leading a package for Neto. Heck, for all we know, he's a big Jared Sundstrom guy.

The point either way is that now is the time for Dipoto to find out. Because if the Rangers can fleece the Angels for O'Hoppe and Silseth, maybe Dipoto can aim bigger and do better.

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