Mariners' perfect trade partner emerging weeks ahead of deadline

The Seattle Mariners' most recent series against the Arizona Diamondbacks demonstrated two things. First, the Mariners aren't quite ready for the playoffs and if they want to have a chance to crack the postseason bracket, they'll need some help. Second, the very team that swept them 3-0 could hold the key to taking them to next level.

When it comes to making upgrades at this year's trade deadline, the Mariners have several options to choose from. But ultimately their priority needs to upgrading the offensive output of their corner infielders and finding a middle-of-the-order bat, at least according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic. The organization's bumper crop of young prospect talent should give them plenty of capital to work with when it comes to trade negotiations.

The Diamondbacks have perfect trade targets for the Mariners, including an old friend

The Diamondbacks have exactly what Seattle could need to improve its lineup. Josh Naylor is having yet another consistent year at the plate, posting a 130 OPS+ for the season with 16 doubles and eight homers. He'll be hitting free agency following this season and despite his hefty $10.9 million salary potentially worsening the Mariners' current payroll crunch, it could be worth it if he's able to translate his numbers from Chase Field to T-Mobile Park.

At third base is none other than Eugenio Suárez, whose best yaer by rWAR was in a Mariners uniform in 2022 (4.1). He's already proven his ability to be an impact bat and like Naylor, he'll also be hitting free agency at the conclusion of this season. He has cooled off after he had a monstrous start to the season but is still sitting at a 125 OPS+ with 13 doubles and 19 homers.

This then begs the question — if the Diamondbacks have one more win than the Mariners, why would they be sellers at the deadline instead of going for it themselves?

To answer that, one has to assess the overall competitive landscape and acknowledge that surviving in the NL West is no easy task. Despite being at an even .500, Arizona is fourth in the division with a 4.0-game deficit behind the third-place San Diego Padres. With the San Francisco Giants surpassing expectations and the Los Angeles Dodgers going about their business as usual, it'd be nearly impossible for the Diamondbacks to win the division anytime soon.

This also means that two of the three NL Wild Card spots could be taken by division rivals, giving Arizona a slim chance of returning to the postseason. To make matters worse, it was recently announced that their biggest free agent signing would be shelved for the remainder of the season and quite some time after.

On the bright side, their team is full of young talent. Corbin Carroll is even better than he was as a rookie, Geraldo Perdomo looks as good as ever, and Gabriel Moreno has put up solid numbers at the plate. With a narrow margin of error to even squeak into October this year, it would make more sense for the Diamondbacks to work on building a supporting cast around their current core to be more competitive in future years.

The Mariners can and want to win now while the Diamondbacks should look to retool for the future given the obstacles they've already had to face in 2025. With their organizational needs in near perfect alignment, why shouldn't they help each other this year?