Mariners Rumors: Insider reveals unfortunate trade deadline truth for Seattle

At least in theory, the Seattle Mariners check all the boxes for a team that should throw its weight around on the trade market ahead of MLB's July 31 deadline.

They're in first place in the AL West, giving them yet another good shot at finally ending a World Series drought that traces back to the franchise's inception in 1977. What's more, the farm system is absolutely loaded with top-100 types that other teams would surely love to get their hands on.

There's just one problem: The summer market is mostly going to be loaded with junk, and with higher-than-usual price tags to boot.

ESPN insider reveals that this summer's trade market will favor sellers

This is the main takeaway from an interview that ESPN's Jesse Rogers did on "Bump and Stacy" of Seattle Sports 710 AM on Tuesday. That the Mariners figure to be buyers at the deadline is an easy assumption, but how much will be out there for them is the iffy part.

“I will tell you, I’ve talked to GMs — including your own there — and I think it’s gonna be a seller’s market,” Rogers said. “There’s not gonna be that many good players available. That’s easy to say today, it could change two months from now as some other teams fall out of the race, but I’ve talked to enough execs to believe that that could be true.”

Rogers went on to elaborate that timing will be everything for the Mariners. They clearly have needs to fill now, particularly on the offensive side. But needs are fluid, as is the pool of available players. The best play, as Rogers said, is to "wait this out."

This is not what you want to hear, whether you're Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto or a random fan in the stands. Yet it is also not exactly surprising. As much as we like to dream of trades for Paul Skenes and Rafael Devers around these parts, we also recognize that such things are beyond long shots and that this year's trade landscape is just plain weird.

There aren't many true non-contenders out there, and even the teams at the bottom of the barrel never figured to have much to offer. The fact that Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara and Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. — two hypothetical pies in the sky for Seattle — have tanked their value in the first two months of the season has not helped matters.

There may be hope, however. The Baltimore Orioles are already an unexpected entry into MLB's collection of likely sellers, and we like the idea of a Cedric Mullins swap with the Mariners. The Boston Red Sox are also seeing their season slipping away, in which case Aroldis Chapman could become a bullpen target. Also slipping are the Arizona Diamondbacks and, honestly, you can't blame us for thinking about a possible reunion with Eugenio Suárez.

No matter who's ultimately available by July 31, it's a fair assumption that Dipoto will not stand pat at the deadline. For all the baffling midseason trades he's made, he's also scored some notable wins with more aggressive maneuvers on Luis Castillo and Randy Arozarena.

Hopefully, there will be more of those in store this summer. Even more hopefully, Dipoto's options will improve over time.