Mariners must do trade deadline scouting while skidding Blue Jays visit Seattle

The last time the Seattle Mariners played the Toronto Blue Jays resulted in a series win for Seattle, and it's looking more and more like the experience may have broken the other side.

That series win in Toronto is but one of nine straight series victories for the Mariners, who sit at 22-14 with the largest lead (3.0 games) of any division leader in the American League. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, have lost 12 out of their last 17 games.

Toronto's playoff odds aren't looking too hot as a result. According to FanGraphs, they're down to 25.4 percent after peaking at 51.3 percent following a 3-1 win over the Mariners in the first of a three-game set on April 18. Seattle's odds are headed in the opposite direction, peaking now at 83.1 percent.

Among other things, this means the latest three-game showdown between the Mariners and Blue Jays at T-Mobile Park over the weekend could be a trade deadline preview of sorts.

The Mariners need to have their eye on several Blue Jays players as trade targets while they're in town

Granted, the Blue Jays are in "go for it" mode. They spent close to $280 million over the winter, and that doesn't include the exorbitant 14-year, $500 million contract extension they gave to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in April.

All of this effort isn't changing the direction of the tide, however. The Blue Jays finished in last place in the AL East in 2024, and the only thing keeping them out of the cellar so far in 2025 is the dismal 13-23 start on the part of the Baltimore Orioles, who made a rather hilarious desperation heave on Wednesday.

Further, the Blue Jays aren't built for the long haul despite their recent efforts. Potential post-2025 free agents in their midst include shortstop Bo Bichette, starters Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer, and relievers Chad Green and (noted former Mariner) Erik Swanson. Meanwhile, MLB Pipeline ranked Toronto's farm system at No. 27 back in March.

The Mariners were ranked at No. 5 on that same list, and their farm system has arguably improved since then. They'll thus be able to throw their weight around at the July 31 trade deadline if they want to, and basically everything in the paragraph above — not to mention a rich history of trading partnership — paints the Blue Jays as potentially their perfect trading partner.

We know from Adam Jude of The Seattle Times that the Mariners were monitoring the infield market after Ryan Bliss went down with a torn biceps in early April. While Ben Williamson, J.P. Crawford, and the tandem of Dylan Moore and Leo Rivas have stabilized things since then, Bichette still stands out as a guy who could be of use to Seattle.

The 27-year-old is a career .289 hitter, and too much is being made of his power outage (i.e., five home runs) across the last two seasons. His expected slugging percentage this year is .496, well above his career mark of .469. The Mariners would obviously need him to play second base in deference to Crawford. But if Trea Turner could make that switch mid-season, so can Bichette.

The Mariners otherwise need relievers with swing-and-miss stuff, so they should have their eyes on Green this weekend. And also on old friend Yimi García, who has fanned 21 batters in 15 innings so far in 2025. He is signed through 2026.

Whether the Mariners will need a starter depends on whether Logan Gilbert and George Kirby can hang in there after returning from the injured list, as well as on whether the injury bug finally leaves the rotation alone. If not, Bassitt or Scherzer would be sensible targets. The latter notably has played in three World Series, the kind of experience the Mariners have an obvious reason to cherish.

This is all strictly speculative, of course, but that's the kind of position the Mariners and Blue Jays have allowed for with their play over the last few weeks. And if the Mariners put another hurting on the Blue Jays this weekend, a trade deadline collision course between the two may be inevitable.

Game Times and Probable Pitchers for Mariners vs. Blue Jays, May 9-11

• Friday, May 9 at 6:40 p.m. PT: Kevin Gausman vs. Luis Castillo
• Saturday, May 10 at 6:40 p.m. PT: Bowden Francis vs. Logan Evans
• Sunday, May 11 at 1:10 p.m. PT: José Ureña vs. Bryce Miller