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Top 10 trade values and targets for the Mariners at this year's deadline
The Mariners are a few key pieces away from being a real contender, are any of the pieces needed on this list?
As we inch closer to the trade deadline, the Mariners find themselves in prime position to be a "buyer" instead of a "seller" this year. The Mariners are currently in first place in the American League West, and the rest of the division is filled with warts. Sure, the Rangers won the World Series in 2023, but (as of writing this) they are two games under .500, and they are in second place! The Astros are surprisingly bad, and are littered with key injuries. Could this be the Mariners year to win the Division and enter the Post-Season for just the second time in over two decades?
With the current roster, it'll be tough. The starting rotation is just about set in stone, and they have been effective. The Bullpen was supposed to be a strength for the Mariners, but they have been a touch inconsistent. The offense as a whole has been worrisome. It seems like only one player can be hot at a time, and so far, none of them have been Julio Rodriguez, or offseason additions Mitch Garver and Mitch Haniger. They need a key bat, or two, to take pressure off of Julio and bring some serious length to this lineup.
While there is not a list of those kind of hitters lining up outside of T-Mobile Park waiting to sign here in the offseason, the Mariners will need to add either with home grown talent or via the trade market. We know this front office is not afraid to trade anyone, or for anyone, so that seems like the easiest and most logical answer here. The prospects the Mariners currently have are still a year or two away, so the only way they can help the 2024 Mariners is by sending them to another team for a proven, A orB tier hitter or two.
While I may not want the Mariners to part ways with the future of the team for a short window now, remember this: Banners hang forever. Are you sick and tired of looking up in the Right Field rafters and seeing banners with 1995 or 2001 on them? I know I sure am. Let's put 2024 up there, and to do that, they are going to have to make a trade.
With all of that being said, here is my list of the "Top ten values and targets" for the Seattle Mariners.
10. Gio Urshela, 3B/1B (Detroit Tigers)
Gio Urshela is a player who does not fill up the stat sheet. He is a bit of an empty batting average guy (.277 batting average, but a .681 OPS), who can play some decent defense. He does bat from the right side, so he would fit the platoon role with Josh Rojas. His strikeout rate is good, as he has struck out in just 14.6% of his at bats. Urshela signed a one year, $1.5M deal with the Tigers in the offseason. As of writing this, the Tigers are out of contention for the A.L. Central, and would be fighting for a Wild Card spot. Should Detroit choose to move him, his price would not be high at all.
9. Mark Canha, OF/1B (Detroit Tigers)
It may seem like I am picking on the Detroit Tigers, but they have some players who I believe would be good fits here. Insert Mark Canha. Canha is a right-handed hitter, so he could replace Mitch Haniger should he continue to struggle or get hurt. He can platoon with Luke Raley or Dominic Canzone in the corner spots as well. Jerry Dipoto has coveted Canha for a while now, and this maybe the year he can get him. Canha's slash line is .247/.358/.401/.759 with an OPS+ of 116. He strikes out below league average and walks above league average. Mark is 35 years old, and is a free agent after this season. He is one on this list I really hope the Mariners go out and get.
8. Brent Rooker, OF (Oakland Athletics)
I really like Brent Rooker. I think he would be a good fit in Seattle. The problem is, he plays for the Oakland Athletics. Will the A's actually trade one of their best players, who is under contract through the 2027 season? I don't think they would. But in cse they are willing to do so, he is on this list. Since the start of 2023, Rooker has hit 42 home runs, and has a slash line of .256/.338/.508/.846 with an OPS+ of 137. He could fill in in the outfield, or at DH. I think the chances are slim, but Rooker would be an awesome Mariner.
Brent Rooker had a monster May. His June isn't looking too bad either. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/T4s8sh9Jt6
— MLB (@MLB) June 1, 2024
7. Tyler O'Neill, OF (Boston Red Sox)
I think the Mariners could use another power bat, this time from our old friend, Tyler O'Neill. Like Mark Canha above, Tyler could fill in as a platoon bat in the outfield, matching with Canzone or Raley, or he could start every day. He is a gold glove outfielder, and has light-tower power, when he is healthy. He is a free agent after this season, and with the Red Sox not being real contenders, he will likely be on the move come July. His cost would not be all that much, because of the injury history, but make no mistake: Tyler O'Neill is a difference maker, when healthy.
An early Tyler O'Neill tank on #MLBSundayLeadoff! pic.twitter.com/MX0sXDGdPA
— MLB (@MLB) May 19, 2024
6. Tommy Pham, OF (Chicago White Sox)
Tommy Pham is a polvoriving player. From an outside perspective, Pham seems to not be able to stick around anywhere too long. He started 2023 with the Mets, then was traded to the Diamondbacks, and was a key figure in them making the World Series. He did not sign a contract until after the season started, and he signed with the Chicago White Sox knowing he would likely be traded again. He is off to a good start, hitting .280 through his first 33 games. Pham is a winner, and would be a difference maker on the Mariners.
5. Bo Bichette, INF (Toronto Blue Jays)
Bo Bichette would be a lot higher on this list if he was having a typical Bo Bichette season. The problem with Bichette right now is he is underperforming, and his cost would still be more than Vladimir Guerrero Jr, who is performing. Bichette plays a premium position and has a long track record of success. Currently, he is hitting .236/.284/.343/.627 with an OPS+ of 81. While I am not thrilled with giving up a prospect haul for a player who is 19% worse than a league average player, you make this move expecting 2024 to be an outlier, and for Bo to return to form. He has proved that he is a premier talent in the league, and he would fill in nicely, wherever they slot him in.
4. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B (St. Louis Cardinals)
Paul Goldschmidt is not currently having a good year. He has been better of late, but he started off 2024 ice cold. Paul is currently hitting .221/.302/.355/656 with an OPS+ of 89. That is not good, We all know that. Maybe it is just a bad start, and maybe there is still some of that MVP-level production in there. Last year was a down year for Paul, by his standards.He hit just .268, but he still hit 25 home runs, and had an on base % of .363. The Mariners would absolutely take that.
Paul is getting up there in age. He will be 37 in september, and he will be a free agent after this season. With the slow start, his age, and the fact that he will be a free agent, acquiring him would not cost the prospect capital as some of the other names on this list. The problem right now is that the Cardinals are turning their season around. They are still one game under .500, and seven games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in their division.
Paul Goldschmidt hits the first home run of the @Cardinals season!@Casamigos | #MLBNShowcase pic.twitter.com/jY4vSdsmPe
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 28, 2024
Should the Cardinals start to fall down in the standings again, you have to think they will try and move their players on expiring contracts, Goldschmidt included. Paul can fill in at the DH spot, or take over first base should France regress or get hurt. I tend to think that the Cardinals will sell at the deadline, and Goldschmidt maybe the cheapest, in terms of prospect capital, impact bat on the market.
3. Relievers
Remember how I said before that the bullpen has been inconsistent? The Mariners have plenty of talent here, but too much of a good thing is a good thing. Trent Thornton and Austin Voth have been good, while Ryne Stanek and Gabe Speier have been hot and cold. Adding a reliever or two, who don't need to be Andres Munoz, would go a long way to lengthen the bullpen and give a break to the high leverage guys.
I am using a blanket "Relievers" for this spot because there are so many of them potentially available I could have wrote a whole top 20 piece on relievers alone. Some names I really like for the Mariners are: Kenley Jansen (BOS), Yimi Garcia (TOR), Carlos Estevez (LAA), Adam Ottavino (NYM), Jake Diekman (NYM), Brent Suter (CIN), Lucas Sims (CIN), Erik Swanson (TOR) and Kyle Finnegan (WAS). All of these guys are on teams that are not likely to make it to the playoffs, and are currently on one year deals or have options.
With the exception of Kenley Jansen, none of the other players I mentioned should cost a lot to acquire. Garcia is having the best statistical season out of all of those guys, and old friend Erik Swanson was actually just optioned to the minors. Any of the named I mentioned above would be great fits here in Seattle, and most of them have high leverage experience, should Munoz and co. need a break here and there. We have seen time and time again that bullpens are some of the most important pieces of a World Series contender. There is a ton of depth to be had out there.
2. Pete Alonso, 1B (New York Mets)
The New York Mets are not going to be competing this year, but we already knew that. The Mets said this to their former ace pitcher Max Scherzer, who just so happened to let the world know what he was told. 2024 will be, and has been, a transition year for the Mets. Why is that important? Well, the Mets face of the franchise, Pete Alonso, is a free agent after this year. The Mets have not signed him to an extension, and he will most likely leave as a free agent.
Enter the Mariners. The Mariners offense needs consistency more than anything, and Pete Alonso brings one too to the table: Power. He has never hit less than 40 home runs (not counting the 2020 season), and has hit as many as 53 home runs in a season. He will not be winning any batting titles, and he will not steal 20 bases, but he will hit a massive amount of home runs, and hit at a league average rate. He also strikeouts out at a below average rate (19.4% for Alonso, 22.8% MLB average).
A two-run shot for Pete Alonso! pic.twitter.com/1vsQcif7QA
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 1, 2024
Last month, The Athletic's Jim Bowden claimed that the Mariners are one of the best landing spots for Alonso, and even gave a mock trade. The Mariners would send Emerson Hancock and Ty France for Pete Alonso in this scenario. While I think that is a fair price, I am not sure the Mariners would move on from France all together. If France was not in this deal ,you would have to imagine that a few prospects would head to New York. I would not think any of the top 15 Mariners prospects would be traded away, because Alonso is a rental.
I also do not think there is a chance he signs an extension with Seattle, at least not during the season. He will hit the free agent market, and maybe the Mariners get him back form there. But this kind of trade will ultimately be a rental deal, and one the Mariners absolutely should make. His bat would help carry this offense, and help bring consistency to this lineup.
1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr, 1B (Toronto Blue Jays)
And at number one, we have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. I still have him at number one, even though these rankings are based on value, because I think he would be that valuable for the Mariners. He is not a rental, he will be a free agent after the 2025 season. There could be a chance that he would be willing to sign long term and play for the Mariners for the rest of his career. Having Julio and then Vladimir Guerrero locked up as the faces of the franchise for years to come would be a dream come true.
I wrote last week on what it could cost for the Mariners to acquire Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Yes, he would cost a lot to get, but if he were currently on the team, he would be the team's best hitter, and it is not all that close. Some current Mariners hitters have been hot here and there, but what Vladimir brings is consistency. Something that seems to plague the Mariner offense.
Vladdy and the @BlueJays are pouring it on. 💥 pic.twitter.com/qxXHvdb6wN
— MLB (@MLB) May 24, 2024
His slash line (as of June 3) is .291/.388/.404/.791 with an OPS+ of 130. He has hit just five home runs, but he also does not strike out. His current strikeout percentage is 17.4%, and his walk percentage is 13.2%, which would be a career high. Would you rather trot Vladimir Guerrero out every day at DH, or Mitch Garver? Garver is striking out 31.8% of the time and hitting well below .200. Start Vladimir at first or at DH, and hit him second in the lineup every day.
The Blue Jays are one 10 game winning streak away from this not being in the realm of possibility, but that is a franchise that seems to be trending downward. They have decisions to make on both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, and it does not seem likely that they can resign both. Out of all of the possibilities i have listed, this is the player I want the Mariners to trade for most of all.
As always, Go Mariners!
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