3 sneaky trade options for the Mariners at third base with Matt Chapman off the board

Rays third baseman Isaac Paredes

Finally, one last trade option for the Mariners could be to make a deal with the Rays who have too many infielders and want starting pitching. The Mariners could decide to make a deal for Isaac Paredes who they had shown interest in earlier this off-season. Seattle's reluctance to want to give up starting pitching could hinder them from making this deal. The Mariners already approached the Rays about a trade early this year which involved Isaac Paredes and Randy Arozarena, balking at Tampa's steep asking price.

Paredes is a good young third baseman who had a .250/.352/.488 slash line, with 31 HR and 98 RBI in 2023. Trading for Paredes as a stand alone in a trade might not require as much prospect or young pitching capital, as a deal for both Paredes and Arozarena would. Still, trading for Paredes is going to be no easy feat considering the years of club control and team friendly nature of his contract. Paredes just became arbitration-eligible following the 2023 season, with club control through the 2027 season.

Another complication of a Paredes deal is the lack of consistent production in his career in Tampa. Paredes' best season was 2023, but overall, he is a career .229 hitter with a .764 OPS. This is probably why the Mariners opted not to meet the Rays asking price for him when they had discussions with the Rays earlier this winter. Regardless, Paredes is still an option for the Mariners to consider if they are concerned about adding a full-time starter at third base.