Mariners Potential Trade Target: Bringing Josh Lowe to Seattle

1 of 2

While the Mariners have one of the better pitching staffs in baseball, their offense is really lacking some firepower outside of Julio, JP, and Cal. They will be in the market for a bat, and hopefully a few. After last offseason when they acquired Tesocar Hernandez and followed it up with Kolten Wong, AJ Pollock, and Tommy La Stella, it should be evident that they are not only 1 bat short of a solid lineup, but probably 2 or 3 elite bats and some added depth.

The most obvious place for the Mariners to upgrade is in the void left by Teoscar Hernandez. The corner outfielders should be a key part of your lineup and unfortunately, the Mariners are pretty weak there. Adding a guy like Josh Lowe could really add some athleticism to this lineup. He is young, controllable, and a guy that does a lot of things really well.

JOSH LOWE!

RAYS NOW LEAD! #RAYSUP pic.twitter.com/6CHV8m9BJO
— Rays Radio (@RaysRadio) August 24, 2023

In 2023, spending most of his time in right field, Josh Lowe slashed .292/.335/.500 with 20 home runs, 83 RBIs, and 32 stolen bases. That was good for a 131 wRC+ and a 3.8 WAR. Lowe's walk rates and strikeout rates are pretty average, (6.2% BB% and 24.8% K%) but he won't kill the Mariners with strikeouts. Mariners who were playing right field combined to hit .232/.282/.398 with an 88 wRC+ with a K% well over 31%. Josh Lowe would be such a big improvement over the production the Mariners have received out of their right fielder.

Being 26 at the start of the season and arbitration-eligible in 2026, he won't be eligible for free agency until 2029. This provides the Mariners with an elite "left-handed element", as Dipoto would say, that is under control for a while.

Josh Lowe saves at least 1 run on this catch pic.twitter.com/90A3UHtRIr
— Pack the Brew (@PacktheBrew) May 5, 2023

What would it take to get Lowe from the Rays? Well, they have an obvious need for pitching as they have dealt with injuries to guys like Shane McClanahan, Shane Baz, and Drew Rasmussen. In a deal for Lowe, it is most certainly centered around a Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo. I don't think that you can trade Gilbert in any sort of deal with the Rays for Lowe, without significant other pieces coming back. Let's take a look at the best offer I came up with. I think these deals are always hard to figure out the additional pieces as these clubs value different things and players or prospects differently, but I’m giving it my best guess and effort here.

Mariners Acquire Josh Lowe for Bryce Miller/Bryan Woo, Cade Marlowe and Trent Thornton

This gives the Mariners the big left-handed bat that they need. Lowe is capable of 20-20 seasons at any point and will probably be a career 270 hitter at his floor. He is most likely a perennial 4-win player that gives you a well-rounded player to slot into the middle or top of the order. Miller or Woo is the cost of acquiring a talent like Lowe, and while Thornton was solid in his time with the Mariners, the Mariners have shown an ability to develop bullpen guys regularly. Plus, there are quite few valuable free agent bullpen pitchers this offseason to spend on, if you save money on the bat.

This gives the Rays a legit #3 starter that has the potential to be a #2 starter in Woo or Miller. I think Miller has a little more trade value, so I think that the Rays would want him, but that difference isn't going to hold up this trade. They get the same control from a starting pitcher that they would from Lowe, so that doesn't really hurt them.

Their pitching staff really struggled to stay healthy, but Tampa Bay's bullpen was actually pretty solid, but being a playoff-contending team, you can never have too many valuable bullpen arms. Plus, this gives them an older outfielder who has hit at every level and may be squeezed out of the rotation in Seattle with Canzone, Kelenic, Julio, Lowe (in this trade scenario) and hopefully, the Mariners acquiring another big corner outfield bat that will rotate at DH.

Home / Mariners Rumors