Juan Soto was traded to the Yankees and the Mariners missed their chance at a star

Juan Soto Trade - Final Thoughts

This bugs me, I think. You would be giving up your backup catcher (meh/to be decided on), a lower level pitcher who is ready for the Majors in Adcock, and then two guys who are definitely ready or already there. Berroa could be a lot of fun if he finds some modicum of control, and Woo has the makings of a long-time major leaguer who could be a #3 in your rotation at some point.

Even if you bump them up and go Woo+Hancock+Berroa+Hunt, I think you have to take a serious look at that to get Soto. I really do.

Do you give up all that control on Berroa and Woo plus the flier on the other players in order to get a superstar with only one year left on his deal? It's an expensive year as well, projected to be around $30M. For a team that is shwoing no inclinations of spending money, it's a big ask.

Here's the thing, though. Could you make this deal, then sign a handful of low-end guys to fill out those last spots? It would put you around $50M in additions. What kind of damage could a Julio/Soto combo do? For an organization so concerned about money, doesn't it seem like those two would bring in a lot of it?

It's close, and there are definitely options I would rather see the Mariners take this offseason to improve. However, for that cost in a trade, I think the Mariners should've gone for it and traded for Juan Soto, and instead missed their opportunity to acquire a star hitter.