MLB insider's alternative take on Mariners roster points to obvious trade candidate

The Mariners continue to underachieve, struggling to even reach .500. The only thing keeping them in contention right now is playing in arguably the worst division in the majors, and they're desperately in need of a healthy Cal Raleigh and Brendan Donovan. However, as much as the players want the duo back in the lineup ASAP, it could in turn mean the end of the line for Dominic Canzone in Seattle.

During an appearance last week on Seattle Sports, MLB Network insider Jon Morosi was asked how the Mariners will sort out the eventual return of Raleigh and Donovan. Morosi replied that the Mariners will effectively have some redundancy on the offensive side in what's already a lopsided roster, at which point there's probably a trade to be had.

The thinking is that Raleigh could use regular time at DH when he returns, at least to begin with. Meanwhile, with Colt Emerson now on the roster and playing at third base (or shortstop pending a potential swap with J.P. Crawford), the versatile Donovan will feasibly see more playing time in the outfield. This is where Canzone's future comes into the equation.

A logjam in right field could be Dominic Canzone's undoing with the Mariners

As poor as Randy Arozarena has been at times in left field, the Mariners aren't removing one of their most consistent offensive threats from the lineup. So it stands to reason that Donovan's best chance of seeing outfield action is in right field, where four players are splitting time between there and DH.

Even though we've mentioned Boston as a potential destination for Rob Refsnyder, he just isn't an enticing trade target in general based on his dire performances this season. Similarly, Víctor Robles hasn't done much these past two seasons when he's been healthy, but the Mariners still have belief he can return to somewhere close to his 2024 form and they aren't prepared to give up on him yet.

Luke Raley is having a renaissance which leads us to Canzone, who's also a strictly platoon left-handed bat with power, but a lot less useful in the field. He figures to have enough value about him to interest potential buyers. He's a slow-burner who finally showed what he could do on the Major League stage last season with a breakout campaign, only 28 and controllable through 2029.

Admittedly we're not sure if Canzone alone will get the Mariners much, but he's certainly a good piece to move regardless. In an ideal world the M's would prefer to keep him around and it would be a shame to see him leave, now that he's finally found a more consistent bat at the Major League level. However, fair or not, he appears to be the most expendable (and appealing) player on the roster.

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