3 Tampa Bay Rays the Mariners should target at the trade deadline

3B Isaac Paredes - .261/.363/.460

Likely the most valuable asset on the Rays roster, Paredes has maintained the momentum he built up in 2023. In the hot corner for the Mariners is Josh Rojas, a player who has cooled off entirely since his scorching hot start to the season. Since May 1st, he's managed a slash line of just .224/.293/.306, clearly a potential spot of improvement for Seattle's lineup.

Paredes is one of the. most unique hitters in baseball. Despite having an average exit velocity and hard-hit rate in the bottom decile of hitters, his 136 OPS+ would lead you to believe otherwise. Furthermore, he's got 17 doubles and 15 home runs, great extra base numbers for someone who averages just 85.0 mph off the bat. So how does he do it? By pulling the ball.

Every one of his home runs are to the leftmost part of the field. By targeting to the outfield corner, he takes advantage of the shortest parts of every ballpark, minimizing the distance has to hit it to get it into the stands. His spray chart is a fascinating thing behold and illustrates a wonderful edge case of a power hitter with low exit velocity.

Paredes will undoubtedly be the most expensive option on the team. At just 25 years old and with three more years of team control after this season, Seattle would be just one of many suitors hoping to employ his services in the short- and medium-term. The Mariners would, at least on paper, make a massive improvement to the team with Paredes in the infield, but only if they're willing to be the highest bidder.