Does a massive potential trade with the Orioles make sense for the Mariners?

First off, no, the Mariners are not trading George Kirby. At least I think. Secondly, the Orioles are not going to part ways with the #1 prospect in all of baseball, Jackson Holliday. But this has been a disappointing and slow offseason for Mariners fans, and a guy can dream a little, right? This is just a dream scenario because there is less than a 0.1% chance Baltimore would not laugh Jerry off of the phone if this were offered.

You may remember "Boy Howdy" from his days at Seattle Sports on 710 AM. He was a regular on the Brock and Salk show, among others. He has moved on, but still tweets about the Mariners quite often. He proposed the trade I am going to talk about today, which you can read below:

From the Mariners fan point of view, how could you say no? Yes, Kirby has been one of the best pitchers in the American League. He is fresh off of his first All-Star appearance and showed that he is already an "Ace" level pitcher. Moving Kirby gets the talent the offense so desperately needs while dealing from a position of strength that will not create more holes down the line. The Mariners have a solid rotation without Kirby, and players like Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are still available.

Jackson Holliday is a shortstop prospect, the number 1 prospect in all of baseball. You can make the argument that Baltimore is already solid in their middle infield, and they desperately need pitching. Holliday has smashed at every level he has been at so far in his short minor league career and has all the makings of a future superstar. The son of 7-time All-Star OF Matt Holliday, Jackson was the first overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Orioles.

Anthony Santander and Austin Hays would fill the void in both corner outfield spots for the Mariners. Sure, Santander is on a one-year deal, but He could be a candidate to resign during the season if he likes it here. Hays has 2 years left in arbitration. Santander and Hays both combined to hit 44 home runs in 2023, and both hit for a decent average. I think, at least on some level, the Orioles will trade one or two of their young players to get pitching help. Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Cedric Mullins are not going anywhere, so the talent will have to come from somewhere.

This exact trade is not even in the realm of possibility. Jackson Holliday is going to be playing shortstop for the Orioles for the foreseeable future, he is their version of Julio Rodriguez. I also do not believe the Mariners are even entertaining the thought of moving George Kirby, at least not yet. Kirby made a comment back in early September. He threw his manager Scott Servais under the bus, and the whole MLB world let him have it. Everyone from Roger Clemens to Ben Verlander lit him up, and he later apologized. Maybe the Mariners front office hasn't forgotten?

This was just in good fun. The idea of the Mariners having a player like Jackson Holliday, along with 2 more All-Star outfielders, really excited me. This has been a terrible offseason for Mariners fans. From slashing payroll, Jerry's 54% comments, to doing absolutely nothing at the Winter Meetings, Mariners fans have a lot to gripe about. Maybe that all changes with a trade or a free agent signing, but I would not expect a trade quite to this magnitude.

As always, Go Mariners!