Mariners must keep George Kirby trade interest in back pocket for offseason

When George Kirby took the mound on Sunday versus the Twins, many wondered if it would be his final appearance in a Mariners uniform. He proceeded to have one of his best outings of the 2026 season, as he pitched 7.0 scoreless innings before a crowd of 41,710 inside T-Mobile Park. It didn't turn out to be his swan song, but don't mistake this for meaning his future in Seattle is secure.

There has been speculation for a while now, regarding if Kirby will sign a contact extension to stay in the Pacific Northwest long-term. It's been suggested the Mariners have effectively already accepted they won't go three-for-three when it comes to re-singing Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo. And with the M's reportedly listening to offers for Kirby specifically prior to Monday's trade deadline, you have to wonder if this alludes to them having already determined who is the most likely to leave.

In fairness to the Mariners, The Seattle Times' Adam Jude recently said there's a general sense in the industry that Kirby will test free agency when he becomes eligible in 2029. During an appearance on the Marine Layer Podcast, Jude said there's an assumption the righty would prefer to move back to the East Coast, where he's originally from. Jude did stress that he doesn't know if this is true, but also wouldn't dismiss the possibility outright.

Interest in George Kirby will only increase come the offseason, now that teams know he's an option

When speaking to the media on Tuesday, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto admitted the Mariners did receive quite a lot of interest from around the majors about Kirby prior to the trade deadline. Further, Dipoto has long maintained a philosophy of being prepared to listen on any offer. However, as per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, he didn't actually engage much beyond "Hello."

This makes sense, given that if the idea was for the Mariners to get Major League talent back, there weren't many clean fits out there for Kirby. Along these lines, the deals that did move starting pitchers felt underwhelming for the seller. And yet, you still get the sense that interest in the 2023 All-Star could pay off during the offseason. Certainly, he could be a valuable trade chip for teams seeking an alternative to signing Tarik Skubal.

We appreciate that Kirby hasn't been quite as consistent these past two seasons compared to his first three years in the majors. Still, even this slightly less productive version of him is still an enticing pitcher for other teams to want to add to their rotation, with his genuine upside as a staff ace. He racks up strikes and his walk rate is usually ridiculously low, making for a pitcher who has arguably the best command of any starter in all of baseball.

On top of this, lets not forget that both Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan are coming to the majors sooner than later, meaning the rotation is on the verge of being overcrowded again. Of course in an ideal world the Mariners would prefer to keep Kirby, but this is about dealing in reality. Ultimately, when putting all the available information and speculation together, it would make sense to trade him at a time when Dipoto and company can still maximize the potential return haul.

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