Mariners Rumors: Ryan Divish hints that Mariners' slugger could be moved again

It is the end of August, we are all hitting that summertime lull and the baseball season couldn't be more frustrating for Mariners fans. After a busy offseason that saw a number of new faces, expectations were sky-high, and the team was living up to the lofty goals. At one point they maintained a 10-game lead on the AL West, looking like they may finally crack the Houston Astros.

Fast forward a couple of months and the Mariners were in a dog fight for the division lead and a playoff spot with the trade deadline fast approaching. The were dealt blows with Julio Rodriguez going down with an ankle injury and JP Crawford heading to the injured list with a broken hand. The Mariners were given a jolt of offense as Victor Robles was on fire (and given a contract extension shortly after) and the team acquired Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner.

It seemed like ownership was okay with spending a little bit of money and Dipoto and Hollander were fine with dealing from their top-ranked farm system. It has still been an up-and-down summer as a majority of the offense (even with Randy and Turner) is just stumbling with a lot of fans even looking towards next year and how to fix this team.

Ryan Divish hints at Randy Arozarena's future with the Seattle Mariners

As this team teeters on the cusp of being a playoff team and yet another disappointing season, some serious questions are starting to arise and drastic moves seem to be in play. At least that's what Mariners reporter, Ryan Divish, thinks. In an interview on the Marine Layer Podcast, he gave some great insight into the Mariners' upcoming offseason.

Divish stated that if Dipoto and Hollander fall under similar payroll constraints last year that there will be some serious roster shuffling, very much like they did this last offseason. He mentioned names like Haniger and Polanco and made a bold proclamation that if Mariner's ownership straps Dipoto and Hollander with his usual payroll limitations, they would trade Randy Arozarena.

A team lacking offense would trade away one of the top bats they have acquired in this tenure. How ridiculous is that? I get that Arozarena is set to make $12-$14 million this year, but this is a team that is seriously lacking offense and will already have three major holes heading into the offseason (first base, third base, and DH). This just wouldn't make sense to many Mariners fans and would send them into a frenzy. Arozarena is struggling this year (.218/.333/.394) but is still going to put up a 20-20 season with a 115 wRC+. If he's on the roster heading into the 2025 season, he will be a key part of a successful team.

He is a solid bet to be a producer in the middle of the lineup and this offseason shouldn't be about limiting payroll while trying to build a competitive, 88-win team. Now is the time for ownership to expand their wallets and allow Dipoto and Hollander to get more aggressive and swim in some deeper waters. We have yet to see this current ownership group do that, but hopefully this offseason changes and we get to see Randy stick out his tenure in Seattle as part of a playoff, and hopefully, a World Series team.