Jerry Dipoto could pull off White Sox trade after Mariners' Randy Arozarena deal

I don't know about your friend group, but the group texts that I am in have all kinds of theories going on as to what else the Mariners are going to do as the deadline approaches, stemming from the Randy Arozarena trade that the team made Thursday night. As the team heads to Chicago for a series against the White Sox, a thought popped into my head.

What if the Mariners took something from Chicago with them on the plane to Boston?

Luis Robert has long been rumored to be on the trade block. Whether or not you are a fan of his, it's hard to argue about his talent. When he is on and feeling it, he is incredibly fun to watch and produces at an amazing rate. He hit 38 homers last season and has 12 through 50 games played this year.

It's also important to mention that he can play multiple outfield positions at an above-average level, so not only is his celing at the plate incredibly high, but he can also help out on defense as well. The big knock against him is his K rate, which is at an astonishing 35% this season. Is some of that from trying to do too much on the White Sox? Possibly. He was a career 25.2% before this season, so you would think it would revert to the norm.

Every indication is that the Mariners are trying to make more moves. So why not make one while you are in Chicago, and save a bit of stress on everyone by just having him walk over to the other dugout?

The Mariners should trade for Luis Robert while in Chicago

Look. They already got Arozarena, and they did so without uprooting the main pieces in their farm system. The Rays always seem to scout better than literally everyone, so you still have to be wary about whatever they get because they seem to get the best out of them. Still, to see #12 and #23 go and that's it (plus the PTBNL, likely a complex or DSL player) means that big moves could easily be made still.

Robert does have more years of control associated with him from the 6YR/$50M extension he signed a couple of years ago. He makes $15M next season, and then has club options in 2026 and 2027, each for $20M. If he stays healthy and performs as expected, it's a big-time deal to get him on that contract.

What it means is that the Mariners are going to have to dip into that top 10 of their farm system to make it happen. Will it be a top level guy like Harry Ford, someone that MLB Pipeline loves? Or could it be Michael Arroyo, someone that Keith Law loves? The hardest thing to do in predicting a trade package is associating the value a team places on position and contention windows.

One thing is for certain though. Robert is going to cost more than Arozarena did. Luckily for the Mariners, they have one of the strongest and deepest farms in baseball, especially when it comes to offensive talent. Jerry and Justin, do your thing, and make sure that when the Mariners leave Chicago that Luis Robert is on that plane.