5 trade deadline deals that could push the Mariners to the AL West crown

The Seattle Mariners have seemingly been on a skid of remarkable proportions as of late. After holding what seemed to be a cushy ten-game lead over the Astros, they now find themselves nearly neck-and-neck with Houston and 3.5 games back of a Wild Card spot. With a 50/50 shot to make the playoffs, this year's trade deadline will be a crucial inflection point and could make or break the season. So which players would have the biggest impact?

#1. CF Luis Robert Jr. - .227/.300/.464

It has honestly been a down year for Robert. His OPS+ of 114 pales in comparison to the levels he reached in 2021 and 2023, but don't let that fool you. He's still hitting the heck out of the ball, barreling them up 14.9% of the time, and still crushes four-seam fastballs. In fact, he's averaging .318 and slugging .682 against fastballs, a big improvement over the Mariners' own .221 batting average and .396 slugging percentage. Don't worry, he hits other pitches too.

Despite Robert not being a free agent until 2026, his current contract is pretty team friendly. Originally a six-year, $50 million deal with team options in 2026 and 2027, he'll earn $12.5 million in 2024 and $15 million inn 2025, reasonable numbers for Seattle's payroll. Furthermore, with Julio on the IL with a high ankle sprain, the Mariners will need a strong presence in center field as soon as possible. The bigger problem will be paying the right prospect package. His deflated numbers this year might help soften the blow but the amount of other interested suitors may drive the price right back up.

#3. 2B Brandon Lowe - .239/.328/.483

As we approach the end of July, Jorge Polanco is still sitting at a sub-.600 OPS. Second base is the position upon which Seattle can see the most offensive improvement and Lowe is a great candidate to be that guy. With a 130 OPS+, he's arguably the best hitter on the Rays, barely edging out Isaac Paredes (another valuable trade target in his own right). Lowe has great quality of contact numbers including a 15.9% barrel rate and a 40.5% sweet-spot rate.

Lowe is on the sixth and final year of his original $24 million deal but has two team options in 2025 and 2026. With major renovations of the Rays lineup likely to happen, it seems like a good time for Tampa Bay to cut bait and exchange an older player in Lowe for younger prospects.

#4. 2B Isiah Kiner-Falefa - .292/.338/.420

While Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the crown jewel everyone is seeking, the Blue Jays front office has seemingly made it clear that he is not for sale this year. Instead, Kiner-Falefa could serve as a worthy consolation prize, depending on how much faith you have in this year's offensive surge. It's the first ever season he's had with an OPS+ above 100 and at 115, it's a big jump over his 2023 OPS+ of just 78. Most importantly, he hits for average which would do wonders for a team currently averaging .216, dead last in MLB. To sweeten the deal, his strikeout and whiff numbers are in the top 6% of qualified hitters.

Kiner-Falefa is currently on a pretty team-friendly two-year, $15 million contract. Not only is his contract pretty affordable, his previous body of work could allow the Mariners to haggle for a lower price and his positional flexibility allow him to fix problems all throughout the lineup.

#5. CF Kevin Pillar - .273/.333/.465

At 35 years young, Pillar is having the best offensive season of his 12-year big-league career. In an admittedly small sample size of just 190 plate appearances, he has a 122 OPS+ and is an ideal candidate for a rental bat. He doesn't do too much at the plate, avoiding strikeouts and sloppy whiffs while using ideal launch angles to compensate for a low exit velocity.

Pillar is on a one-year, $1 million deal with the Angels and is likely retiring after this year. After reaching a remarkable milestone of 10 years of service time, he has stated that he's essentially accomplished all that he has wanted to accomplish. With little chance of an extension, Seattle could ride this hot streak until the very end and maybe even give Pillar one last taste of the postseason before riding off into the sunset.