Mariners should trade for Cubs outfielder to strengthen lineup

The Seattle Mariners offense has continued to struggle and all hope seems to be lost for the club after blowing a ten game lead in the American League West in less than 30 games. However, there is hope on the horizon in the form of the MLB trade deadline. The Mariners have a week left to make additions to their ball club and there are going to be trades. Whether they are popular or not, there will be trades made and the Chicago Cubs could be a team that trades with Seattle.

The Cubs have had a disappointing season so far, and before games start on July 23, the Cubs sit at 49-53 and are barely above last place in their division. They are 9 games back of their division and are 3.5 games back of the wild card with 4 teams to pass. There was a report that said they would not make moves to help the club this year, which could mean the Mariners could acquire some of their big league talent.

The Mariners have struggled to have above-average production from their corner outfielders this season and that is where Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki could come in. He has played right field throughout his young career and would slot nicely into the M's lineup. This season he is hitting .261/.332/.461 with 13 home runs in 76 games.

The Mariners should go after Seiya Suzuki from the Cubs

He is not a superstar player, but he is a good player. He has a 123 wRC+ so far this year, which means that he is 23% better than the average hitter in MLB. The Mariners could certainly benefit from adding a 123 wRC+ hitter to the middle of their lineup. He would be the best hitter on paper in the Mariners lineup if he were to be acquired.

The downside to Suzuki is his defense. There have been a few defensive gaffes by Suzuki in right field recently that are not good. His Baseball Savant numbers are not great, but he does have a good arm and the Mariners need to add productive hitters to their roster so if it comes at the expense of some defense then it must be done.

Suzuki also hits the ball hard. His average exit velocity is 92.4 mph which is in the top 7% of the league. He hits the ball hard just under 50% of the time which is in the top 10% of the league as well. He is simply a good player who would help the team out. He will turn 30 years old here in a few weeks and will be under team control through the next two and a half seasons at least. He would likely cost a decent prospect price, but less than the cost of Isaac Paredes or Luis Robert.

The Mariners need to add at the deadline because they simply don't have many opportunities to do so throughout the calendar. They cannot undo the mistakes that were made during the offseason, but they can try to boost the clubhouse morale and the offensive potential by trading for Seiya Suzuki to help try to make a playoff push here in 2024.