3 underrated moves to help push the Mariners into the playoffs

In case you just woke up from a coma, the Mariners went out and made their team significantly better this week. They were able to pry Randy Arozarena away from the Rays, and got Yimi Garcia to help the bullpen. While I love both of those moves, there is still work to be done. Maybe I am just greedy at this point, but there are still holes on this team. Even after acquiring Justin Turner.

In my opinion, the Mariners still need another everyday bat for the lineup. J.P. Crawford will miss more than a month, and there still is not a concrete timetable for Julio Rodriguez to return. We know that they will be back at some point, but the Mariners still need to fill their positions. At the moment, Victor Robles is carrying the load in Center Field. His contributions have been massive, but how long can you depend on him? Dylan Moore is basically the new everyday shortstop, and while he has had moments, he can be very inconsistent at the plate.

The Mariners also need another bullpen arm or two. Yes, they acquired Yimi Garcia from the Blue Jays, but they also sent Ryne Stanek to the New York Mets. They have dealt with injuries and inconsistent play from their bullpen, and another arm or two to help Andres Munoz should be a top priority moving forward.

I would love nothing more than for the Mariners to go "All in" and trade for another superstar like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and while there have been rumors swirling about Vlad becoming a Mariner, I just don't think it'll happen. At least not this season. The Mariners front office has been among the busiest at the deadline, and I fully expect that to be the case up until the deadline.

While acquiring another superstar may be out of the realm of possibility, the rest of the roster can be supplemented with underrated players. Maybe they are veterans on struggling teams, or maybe they are having a down year. Maybe a team is looking to capitalize on a player's value. Anyway, here are three underrated bats that could help the Mariners struggling offense.

Josh Bell, 1B (Miami Marlins)

Why trade for Josh Bell, when you had Ty France at home? Yeah, that was my terrible try at a joke. But in all seriousness, if you compare the slash lines of Josh Bell (.239/.305/.394.699 with an OPS+ of 92) and Ty France (.223/.312/.350/.662 with an OPS+ of 94), they are almost identical. The only real difference is the OPS< which Bell leads by almost .040 points.

Bell and France may be similar, but they do have a distinct difference: power. Josh Bell may not hit for average like he did a few years ago, but he still has plenty of power in that bat. He has hit 14 home runs, 18 doubles and a triple. Compare those to Ty France's 8 home runs, 14 doubles and no triples, and you can now spot the difference. France was let go because he couldn't hit for any power, or contact, but Bell can still hit for power.

Like France, Bell was placed on waivers by the Marlins last week. As of writing this, he is still active on the roster for the Marlins. It is unlikely that Bell will be claimed by anyone, so the Marlins and Mariners could still work out a trade once he officially clears waivers. Bell exercised his player option for $16,500,000 earlier this offseason. He will be a free agent after this season.

While I would much rather the Mariners pay the price for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from the Blue Jays, Bell would be a decent consolation prize for the Mariners. He is a switch hitter, who hits right-handed pitching (.256/.325/.441/.766) much better than left-handed pitching (.219/.281/.342/.623). He could platoon with Tyler Locklear at first, with Locklear sitting against righty's.

Bell is a true "Low risk" type player. If he doesn't perform, the Mariners are off the hook for him financially after this season. If he performs well, then you get that performance the Mariners have needed since 2022 at first base. Bell will turn 32 years old this August, and he for sure has seen his best seasons behind him. But given the choice to roll out a rookie who strikes out 40+% of the time, or a veteran who can still hit for power, give me the vet 100% of the time.

Tyler and Taylor Rogers, RPs (San Francisco Giants)

Okay I know that I am cheating here with two names, but this is my list, my rules. Why would I group them together? Well, they're twins! I still think it's cool that they both made it to the Majors, and they both ended up on the same team. Now, maybe they'll both be traded together to the Mariners. The Giants have already traded away one of their best hitters, signaling the tear down.

Tayler and Tyler maybe twins, but they couldn't be much more different pitchers if they wanted to be. Tyler is a slow-throwing submarine style right handed pitcher, while Taylor is a hard throwing left handed pitcher. Tyler's average fastball velocity sits right at 82 MPH, while his brother Taylor's fastball averages 93 MPH.

Tyler Rogers, the right handed twin, may throw one of the slowest fastballs in the game today, but he is still plenty effective. He currently leads the Majors in games pitched (54), and has only walked three batters over his 49.2 innings of work. three walks! That's it. He limits hard hits as well, as he has only given up six home runs this season. Tyler may not be flashy, but he has been one of the most consistent relief pitchers for some time now.

Taylor is much more of a flashy pitcher than his twin Tyler. Once a former All-Star with the Brewers, Taylor has turn into one of the games best high leverage left handed pitchers. Taylor is a two-pitch pitcher, tossing a sinker and a sweeper. He, like his twin brother, limits hard contact at a very high rate. He has given up just four home runs this season and strikes out batters at a 9.9 strikeout per nine inning clip.

Both twins are set to become free agents after the 2025 season. Tyler is entering his last year of arbitration, while Taylor is owed $12,000,000 in 2025. That is a steep price to pay for a bullpen arm, even with Taylor's track record. Jerry and co. have done a good job managing money, and making moves to free up money to acquire players.

Just because Taylor is making a lot of money doesn't mean the Giants are going to give him away, or his brother Tylere for that matter. The Mariners would have to give up a significant prospect haul to land just one of the twins, let alone both. I know I have said it would be awesome to see both traded at the same time, but in this case, both would pack a serious punch for a bullpen desperate for length.

As always, Go Mariners!