5 expendable Mariners players Seattle can move at the trade deadline for offense

Seattle could deal Jorge Polanco or Ryan Bliss and the packages would be vastly different

Second base has been a major pain point for the Mariners since Robinson Cano was sent to New York in a major blockbuster trade. There have been a number of names that the team has brought it to try and fill the position with just average production, to no avail. The Mariners have done a lot to try and address this issue long-term as well, adding a number of talented prospects. They have drafted guys like Cole Young who could be long-term solutions, as well as acquired Ryan Bliss, who could provide production a lot sooner.

It seemed like they found their guy, and a very good one at that, when they acquired Jorge Polanco this offseason. Polanco had struggled to stay healthy, but when he was, he produced at a borderline elite level. Polanco really struggled out of the gates this year and it seemed like the Mariners were in the same pickle as in previous years. Polanco was placed on the injured list and could begin a rehab assignment soon. Hopefully, when he does, he returns to his previous year's production and can solve the second base issue.

The man that has filled in for Polanco, Ryan Bliss, has done a great job. Bliss is only hitting .22/.276/.333 in the month of June but has provided a different element to this offense with three stolen bases on the year, some nice bunts and excellent defense at second base. Bliss has given this offense a little bit of a spark and this is a good opportunity to see what he can do.

The issue with both of these guys is that one is a veteran who should be producing, but has been really bad this year, while dealing with a nagging hamstring injury. The other is a rookie who hasn't proven anything, and while he has been solid, he hasn't really lit the world on fire. Both of these names are ones that could be involved in a trade at the deadline. If the team wants to see what Bliss can do, they could look to dump Polanco and see if someone will eat his contract so Dipoto can use that money elsehwere. If they want to ride with the veteran and capitalize on Bliss, another team might really like Bliss and his athleticism. Either way, I don't see a way that these two co-exist on the roster at the same time and you might be better off moving on from one of them.