Red Sox trade for Willson Contreras is hiding excellent news for Mariners

With Christmas around the corner, the Red Sox wrapped up a deal to acquire Willson Contreras from the Cardinals to fill their vacancy at first base. It's a trade that made sense for both teams, as Boston received a solid player who posted a 124 wRC+ last season, while the Cardinals got some pitching depth and cleared the path for Alec Burleson to take over full time.

At first glance, this is irrelevant to the Mariners, who at no point expressed interest in Contreras or any of the players sent to St. Louis. But it does mean that they now have one fewer suitor to outbid for their white whale this offseason.

Now that they've acquired Willson Contreras, the Red Sox are reportedly halting any pursuits of a trade for Ketel Marte

In the wake of the deal, Bob Nightengale of USA Today pointed out that Boston would no longer be exploring a trade package to acquire Ketel Marte. This could be due to the money they must now commit to paying Contreras, or an effort to retain some prospect capital. Either way, it's big news for the Mariners, who have been linked to Marte for some time now.

Boston was a considerable threat to Seattle's chances at trading for Marte since it has been widely reported that the Diamondbacks are in search of young pitching talent, of which the Red Sox have plenty. Now that they're bowing out of the race, the Mariners' pool of pitchers is even more appealing than what's on offer by the other teams that have expressed interest.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Arizona is any closer to striking a deal for their star second baseman. If he does get traded, he'll be one of a few second basemen to switch teams this winter, joining the likes of Brandon Lowe and Jeff McNeil. It has been reported that the Diamondbacks are looking to finalize their decision sooner rather than later and if the team doesn't receive a trade package that they deem to be sufficient, they're happy to put the issue to bed and move on with their offseason.

And so it seems like the onus is on the Mariners to make the Diamondbacks an offer they can't refuse. Without going against their word and including one of their coveted starting pitching talents, the two organizations may be at an impasse. But like the Contreras deal, perhaps a top prospect or two would be enough to make both clubs happy this holiday season.