3 Moves that Mariners could make after trading Jarred Kelenic to the Braves

The Mariners caught fans everywhere off guard when they traded Jarred Kelenic, Marco Gonzales, and Evan White away to the Braves for some young pitching, headlined by the Braves number 7 prospect, Cole Phillips. Dipoto and Hollander are always able to catch fans off guard by making moves that we aren't expecting. They've even mentioned that anything you hear, isn't likely what is happening.

It's tough. I don't know what to think here. The Mariners have made a lot of moves that you would make playing a video game. You clear out a bunch of salary that you "don't want" and then bring in all the players that you do want. The Mariners seem to be doing something like that. It's real life though, and you have to worry it isn't gonna happen.

They're going that route. They talked about wanting to cut down on strikeouts. Out goes Teo, out goes Tom Murphy, out goes Geno, out goes Kelenic. That's a lot of strikeouts gone... but it's also a lot of offense gone. You now need a third baseman (unless you trust in Luis Urias from the Campbell deal), a left fielder with Kelenic gone, a right fielder with Teo gone, and you still need a DH.

I don't like how that sounds. The Mariners have "saved" a lot of money, though, and look to have somewhere around 35-55 million to spend from the reports that we have heard. What could they do with it? What are some moves that we could see them do? Let's put some quick plans together and see what the Mariners could do after trading Jarred Kelenic away.

Mariners could make a trade with the Rays and sign a pitcher

This is the immediate one, and the one that many people will think is going to happen. How big of a deal will it be though? The Rays are definitely looking to cut salary, so it isn't hard to think that they are going to be looking for creative ways to get rid of it. They are far from a dumb team though, so it isn't like you are going to be able to rob them blind. They are heading into 2024 at about $125M, but they've never been above $85M.

So, that could that look like? Well, the Rays like youth and control. The Mariners have a good amount of that. The Rays also have a big contract sitting there in Tyler Glasnow and he is supposed to be making $25M or so in 2024. There is no way that he pitches in 2024 for the Rays. He isn't the one that was mentioned right away in any of the proposed deals, but it make sense. That's a lot of money, and taking him off the Rays hands would go a long way in obtaining hitting assets.

The Mariners don't just need a pitcher though. In fact, that isn't what they need at all. They do need a good pitcher though if they send one out. Which the Mariners would need to do in this deal, and it could be any of Miller or Woo. I would say Gilbert, but it's unlikely if they are taking that contract (even though Glasnow is a stud) and it ends up being Miller or Woo. There is a ton of control there, and gives Tampa someone to put in their rotation they can trust for the rest of this decade.

It's the fourth paragraph, and I haven't even gotten to the ones you want to hear about. The real reason you do this trade is to get Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes. It instantly makes the lineup better, although there will still be work that needs to be done.

Mariners receive: Tyler Glasnow, Randy Arozarena, Isaac Paredes
Tampa receives: Bryce Miller, Gabriel Gonzales

The bad feelings are true and nothing happens

This is the biggest worry here. The Mariners, and by that I mean Stanton, don't do anything. There are so many holes there, and the in-house options don't look great. If nothing else happens, here is what the lineup could look like. I'll warn you now, go grab a garbage can, cause you're gonna need it.

1. SS - JP Crawford
2. CF - Julio Rodriguez
3. C - Cal Raleigh
4. 3B - Luis Urias
5. 1B - Ty France
6. 2B - Josh Rojas
7. LF - Dylan Moore
8. RF - Dominic Canzone
9. DH - Taylor Trammell?

Sorry. I know ipecac is effective, but looking at that lineup probably does the job better. It's just terrible. Would it really surprise you if the Mariners didn't do anything else? Stanton has never allowed the Mariners to do anything big in the hitting free agent market. I hope you still have that trash can nearby, because the biggest hitter the Mariners have signed since Dipoto came to town was AJ Pollock at 1YR/$7M.

I just... I get really nervous. I'm worried that the Mariners (Stanton) are going to prioritize short-term profit and limited expenditure over long-term profit and success.

However, I personally don't think it's going to happen. Do you really re-sign Luis Castillo and Julio Rodriguez, with Robbie Ray, if you aren't going to try and make things happen? I try and stay positive, but it can be tough sometimes. Let's just hope that the Mariners do one of those top options and make a good splash this offseason, instead of slipping off the diving board in front of their crush and belly flopping into the pool.