Mariners fans need to see past the Tarik Skubal bait in Jeff Passan's new intel

Whether the Seattle Mariners should trade for Tarik Skubal and whether they will are radically different questions. The only thing left to do when pondering both is play the hits, which is basically what ESPN's Jeff Passan did with his trade deadline intel drop on Thursday.

Blink, and you might miss the other trade candidate he floated for the Mariners: Rico Garcia, who's the best relief pitcher you're probably not thinking about.

Normally, 32-year-olds with six years of MLB experience with seven different teams are not viewed as trade deadline prizes. Garcia was also formerly drafted by the Colorado Rockies, who might be the worst drafting team in history.

But then again, dude's allowed two earned runs in 26.1 innings. He's also fanned 30 batters while maintaining a 0.608 WHIP. It's hard to fake that kind of dominance, and you can really see it when Garcia pitches. The fastball averages 95.4 mph and it's but one of four offerings in his arsenal. That's two (heck, arguably three) more than most relievers have.

This is one half of Garcia's appeal as a trade chip. The other is his almost certain availability.

He pitches for the Baltimore Orioles, who began the season with eyes on first place in the AL East but are instead fighting to stay out of the cellar. Teams like that generally need to consider cutting their losses, and selling high on a random breakout pitcher in his early 30s could be a no-brainer as August 3 gets closer.

Mariners can't let Tarik Skubal dreams distract them from the needs they have in reality

To be clear, we're not shading Passan for bringing up Skubal as the best fit for the AL West-leading Mariners. We, too, have played the hits. The logic in favor of a deal for the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner is the same as George Mallory's for climbing Mt. Everest: Because he's there!

But then the same wake-up calls begin ringing.

The Mariners have a surplus of starters, not a need for one. And while they do have the prospects to entice the Detroit Tigers, even Jerry Dipoto's big trade swings tend to have some level of restraint. Him trading blue-chip talent for a pitcher who's A) a rental, B) making $32 million and C) coming off elbow surgery tests the bounds of the illusion.

Garcia is a different story, both in terms of his acquisition cost and how he'd fit in Seattle. He's unlikely to cost a Lazaro Montes or even a Michael Arroyo. And while the Mariners are getting an AL-best 3.01 ERA from their relievers, no bullpen has ever been too loaded come October.

So, eyes on the prize, everyone. Skubal is only that if you're playing baseball Stratego. Garcia is a real tide-turner who doesn't require shouting trade proposals into the void. The Mariners can and should want to go get him.

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