Mariners insider floats trading top prospect to Rays for Yandy Diaz

It has been a busy offseason for nearly everyone except the Seattle Mariners. With almost all of the worthwhile free agent pieces off of the board, Seattle will likely have to make a compelling trade offer if they wish to get some meaningful help for their lineup heading into next year.

The current roster has a burning need for a first baseman and the options are quickly wearing thin. There's still an outside chance they get their hands on one of the few remaining sluggers, but given their track record, holding out hope my be a fool's endeavor. Instead, do the Rays hold the key to a potential game-changing move?

In a recent article from Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, he reported that Tampa was previously interested in acquiring Mariners' prospect Harry Ford. Coincidentally, Yandy Díaz and Brandon Lowe would help fill current gaps on the M's. A seemingly perfect match, there's a lot to like about this deal for both teams.

For the Mariners, landing someone as talented as Díaz could be the power addition they've long been searching for. He's just two years removed from winning a batting title, a Silver Slugger, and placing sixth in AL MVP voting. Despite a down year in 2024, he still managed a 116 OPS+ with 31 doubles and 14 home runs.

Don't let his relatively low home run total deceive you; he still placed in the top decile for average exit velocity (92.2 mph) and hard-hit rate (48.7%). His limited long ball count is affected by a very low average launch angle — typically around five degrees — but this allows him to hit consistent line drives for singles and doubles. While other sluggers are characterized by poor swing decision figures and low batting averages, Díaz has no such issue, with chase and whiff rates more akin to a bat-to-ball middle infielder than a powerful first baseman.

Harry Ford is the No. 49-ranked prospect in all of baseball and is the No. 7-ranked catching prospect. He spent all of last season with Double-A Arkansas and posted a .745 OPS, still good enough for a 119 wRC+ at the level.

Scouts have noted his incredible speed, on-base skills, and athleticism, all of which are likely reasons the Rays are interested are bringing him on. His catcher-specific skills, like framing and controlling the run game, still need plenty of work, but there seems to be belief that he can remain behind the plate as a big leaguer.

To sweeten the deal, this would save some money for Tampa. The Rays are one of the few teams that are historically even more frugal than the Mariners, and Díaz will be owed $10 million next year with a $12 million option in 2026. For context, the Rays had a total payroll of roughly $90 million in 2024 and the third-highest paid player behind Díaz and Lowe was Colin Poche ... with a salary of $2.4 million.

With their financial woes exacerbated by the current stadium situation, a Rays salary dump could be just what Seattle needs to finally get their offseason going.