Mariners made weak attempt to trade for former MVP who landed with Yankees

As Mariners fans are painfully aware, there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding their team's infield, with it being viewed by many as the weak link on what is otherwise a genuine playoff-level roster. However, they apparently could have actually obtained a quality upgrade at one of the infield positions, someone with a resume which includes two All-Stars selections, a couple of Silver Slugger Awards and an NL MVP award.

The player in question is 2020 World Series champion Cody Bellinger, who can play first base and also man all three outfield positions. As per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, sources indicate the Mariners kicked the tires with the Chicago Cubs about the 2023 NL Comeback Player of the Year.

To say Bellinger could have helped the Mariners is an understatement, even if critics argue that his production in 2024 wasn't outstanding. As a couple of examples, his 78 RBI would have been second on the Mariners last season, while his .266 batting average would have been third among regulars.

Now, we appreciate that part of the reason behind Bellginer's favorable rankings is helped by the Mariners being a below-average offensive ball club last season, but even in their own right 78 RBI and a .266 batting average are not exactly bad! In eight Major League seasons he has a career .259/.334/.484 line (good for an .818 OPS), and has undergone an offensive resurgence in the last couple of years.

Cody Bellinger would've been good fit at Mariners' home park

As for anyone pointing towards the 29-year-old potentially struggling in arguably the most pitcher-friendly stadium in the Majors, consider that he has a career .476 batting average and 1.494 OPS at T-Mobile Park. Although we will add the significant caveat that this phenomenal success has been achieved in just 24 plate appearances over five games in Seattle. (It is interesting to note, though, that his .476 batting average at T-Mobile Park is the best out of all 30 Major League stadiums, while his 1.494 OPS is second-best.)

On top of all this, Bellinger is a sure-handed defender with a career .993 fielding percentage, with his athleticism also proving key as a versatile player. In this respect, after the Mariners decided not to make a serious push to obtain him, he ended up being traded to the New York Yankees.

The kicker to this, is that all it cost the Yankees was pitcher Cody Poteet, who has some potential but has limited Major League experience so far due to already having several significant injuries. Are you really telling us the Mariners couldn't have done better than that, while also still not needed to give up a big haul? The Cubs also kicked in $5 million to help pay down Bellinger's salary.

Ultimately, we suspect Bellinger's contract was the major stumbling block in the Mariners not considering a trade for him more seriously. His salary for the upcoming season is $25 million, which would have made him the most expensive player on the team (he also has a player option worth $22.5 million for the 2026 campaign).

This comes back to the report, which originated from Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, that the front office was only given around $15 million of space payroll to upgrade the team this offseason. As a result, the Mariners are still left wanting, with an underwhelming infield that could have included Bellinger.

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