Mariners Rumors: Trade deadline-altering Red Sox blockbuster emerges as possibility

The July 31 trade deadline is just weeks away and the Seattle Mariners are hitting a stride at the perfect time. Sure, the division may be out of reach as the Houston Astros have stretched their lead in the AL West to 6.5 games, but the Mariners are still very much in the Wild Card race.

It hasn't been a perfect start to the New York Yankees series, but FanGraphs still gives the Mariners a 61.6 percent chance to crack the postseason and they're positioning themselves as clear buyers. If they end up being as aggressive as they're reportedly preparing to be, who would be their big splash this summer?

According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the answer may lie with the Boston Red Sox.

Mariners get their strongest link yet to Alex Bregman

Bowden believes that the Mariners could get reinforcements in the form of a bitter rival that has been outstanding at the hot corner this year for Boston: Alex Bregman. According to Bowden, the Red Sox are hoping to extend Bregman but given his current numbers, he'll likely exercise an opt-out clause in his contract and seek an even larger free agent contract in the offseason. Thus, if extension talks fail, Boston could shop him around the market and the Mariners would be at the top of the list of potential landing spots.

With a stacked farm system, the Mariners have the ability to fill any gaps that currently exist in the Red Sox organization. Now that their top prospects in Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, and Roman Anthony have all graduated to the big leagues, it makes sense that they'd want to reload.

For Seattle, the need is obvious. They've received a combined .675 OPS from the third base position this year (16th in MLB) and Bregman's .938 OPS over his 226 plate appearances has been his best offensive mark since 2019. He has been on the injured list since May 23rd after suffering a quad strain, but he's reportedly not far from returning to action, potentially even before the All-Star break.

Making a trade to acquire Bregman has been a rumor for a few weeks now, but only time will tell if it ends up coming to fruition. Mariners fans know as well as anybody that rumors are nothing but hearsay until they become reality. With the stakes this high and the rumors this enticing, this year's trade deadline could be a major inflection point for the team. Will they do what's necessary to go the last mile or will they falter at the finish line once again?