Mariners series vs. Orioles will bring them face-to-face with perfect trade target

Hot off a frustrating, yet ultimately successful series against the Minnesota Twins, the Seattle Mariners are set to close out a nine-game homestand by hosting the Baltimore Orioles for three games. And for the home team, it will function as a showcase for Ryan O'Hearn.

As we recently covered, the Mariners are positioned to be an aggressive buyer ahead of the trade deadline and two of their most pressing needs are at first base and right field. Both positions have produced negative WAR, and now we know that Victor Robles won't be returning to right field any time soon.

Designated hitter has suddenly become a concern spot as well. Jorge Polanco was lighting the MLB world on fire out of the DH spot in April, but he has since fallen into a deep slump that has raised questions about whether the M's should be considering upgrades there, too.

Ryan O'Hearn visits Seattle as arguably the Mariners' No. 1 trade target

Hence the appeal of O'Hearn, who was tabbed by ESPN's Jeff Passan on Tuesday as the "best fit" for the Mariners on the summer trading market. He's a primary DH who can also play first base and right field, and he wields an increasingly mighty stick.

The 31-year-old landed in Baltimore as a cast-off from the Kansas City Royals organization, and rightfully so after he had posted -2.6 rWAR in five seasons. He has since found his wings as an Oriole, running an OPS+ in the 120 range in 2023 and 2024 before truly heading skyward in 2025.

Through 49 games, O'Hearn is slashing .329/.416/.535 with nine home runs. His 175 OPS+ ranks third among American League hitters, behind Aaron Judge (248) and the Mariners' own Cal Raleigh (194).

With the catch being that the lefty hitter is best used as a platoon bat against right-handed pitching, O'Hearn's under-the-hood metrics similarly impress. There's a lot of red on his Baseball Savant page, including a 100th-percentile expected batting average.

Meanwhile, the Mariners are getting just a .608 OPS from first base and a .595 OPS from right field. And as such, the idea that O'Hearn could be acquired to help out at both positions ought to activate Jerry Dipoto's salivary glands.

There's no reason to think the Mariners and Orioles can't make music on an O'Hearn deal. At 22-36, the O's aren't so much sinking as already sunk. He's also in the last year of his contract, and trading with the Mariners would be a chance to score some pitching for a depth chart that needs arms in the worst way.

[Chatter in earpiece]...Oh, right. There's also actual baseball to be played between these two teams over the next three days.

As with the Washington Nationals, the Mariners need to be careful not to treat their latest visitors from the East Coast as a pushover. As rough as the Orioles have had it this year, O'Hearn is just one part of a dangerous offense. Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday are having fine years, and Adley Rutschman is not to be taken lightly even if he's no longer the best catcher in baseball.

Though the Mariners are in first place in the AL West at 32-26, they have been treading water with a 12-14 record since May 4 precisely because their own offense just keeps short-circuiting. They can ask no more of Raleigh, and Julio Rodríguez and Randy Arozarena are having strong years as well. Otherwise, basically every other spot in the lineup is underwhelming right now.

What the Mariners absolutely can do in this series is out-pitch the Orioles. They have a lower ERA than the Orioles by about a run and a half, and they'll be trotting out their best starter (Bryan Woo) and another starter with a hot hand (Emerson Hancock).

Of course, much depends on George Kirby and the bullpen. Kirby hasn't looked remotely like his All-Star self in two starts since returning from shoulder inflammation, giving up 11 earned runs in just 8.2 innings. The pen just had a horrible series against Minnesota, with even Andrés Muñoz getting in on three straight ninth-inning meltdowns.

All this is to say that this is yet another series that feels like a trap. But then again, one supposes they all do whenever a team is struggling to stay afloat as much as the Mariners are right now.

Game Times and Probable Pitchers for Mariners vs. Orioles, June 3-5

• Tuesday, June 3 at 6:40 p.m. PT: Tomoyuki Sugano vs. George Kirby
• Wednesday, June 4 at 6:40 p.m. PT: Cade Povich vs. Emerson Hancock
• Thursday, June 5 at 12:40 p.m. PT: Zach Eflin vs. Bryan Woo