Mariners might have perfect buy-low trade candidate if Red Sox are willing to deal

Despite what Jerry Dipoto might believe about the state of his team (hint: he's a lot like that meme of a dog sitting in the middle of a burning room saying "this is fine"), the Mariners have work to do in the offseason. They were so painfully close to that last Wild Card spot by the end of the season, missing out by a single game and putting up a great last-effort surge as the year came to a close, but they're going to need an addition or two to actually get them across that line in 2025.

The Mariners don't have too many players leaving in free agency this year. Justin Turner and Yimi García are both slated to depart, and the M's have a club option on Jorge Polanco that carried over from his tenure with the Twins. Polanco just underwent a knee surgery and had a career-worst year in Seattle, so it's possible that the Mariners don't exercise that option.

Turner and possibly Polanco's departures highlight the need for a designated hitter and a second baseman, and a possible trade candidate from the Red Sox could at least help with the former.

Masataka Yoshida, Boston's DH, underwent shoulder surgery on Oct. 3 after a season riddled with injuries, and it's unclear if he'll be ready to go by spring training. He still has $55.8 million and three years left on his contract initial five-year, $90 million deal. No one in their right mind would take on that whole amount fully, but if the Red Sox were willing to eat some of it, Yoshida could be an interesting candidate for Seattle.

Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida could be a trade candidate for Mariners

Clearly, there's a lot of risk here. With Yoshida's injuries and the amount left on his contract, he might be too much for another team to even attempt to make a deal for him. However, the Red Sox have a very crowded roster, and they might be so desperate to make room for some of their top prospects that they would be inclined to sell low on Yoshida at the moment. There's been far too much buzz on this front, which has made it clear the Red Sox do not view him as an integral piece.

Randy Arozarena and Victor Robles pretty much have the outfield corners locked up for the foreseeable future, but Yoshida (a DH/left fielder) has been Boston's regular DH for the last two years and only appeared in left once this season. When he was healthy, his numbers were still respectable; he hit .280 with a .764 OPS, 10 homers, and 56 RBI in 108 games to follow a rookie season that got him Rookie of the Year votes.

So it would require some wheeling and dealing with the Sox and taking on some risk given Yoshida's surgery, but it could also end up turning a high-reward situation for the Mariners, who need any bat that will make an impact.