2025 MLB Trade Deadline: Potential National League Targets for Seattle Mariners
There’s less than 10 days left until the MLB Trade Deadline is here, and the Mariners have been rumored to be hot-and-heavy with several players; mostly guys that can help the offense but the pitching staff also has been mentioned as well.
Now’s as good of time as any to take a look at players the Seattle Mariners could look to target at the deadline. We looked at American League teams yesterday, and now it’s time to take a look at the Senior Circuit.
Here’s a look at one player the Mariners should be looking to acquire from every National League team who isn’t currently in the playoff race.
Miami Marlins: Sandy Alcantara, SP
I can see you raising your eyebrows from here, and I get it. But I think acquiring Alcantara makes a heck of a lot more sense than you might believe.
On the surface, it’s hard to justify. Alcantara has been awful. He came into a start Wednesday against the Padres with an ERA of 7.14, and he’s allowed more runs than any starter in baseball. He ranks in the bottom 15th percentile or worse in stats like expected batting average, expected ERA, whiff percentage, and strikeout rate. His Fielding Independent Pitching number of 4.67 suggests that there’s been some bad luck for Alcantara, but that’s far from an elite number. He’s “earned” his struggles, for the most part.
And all that being said, Alcantara still intrigues the heck out of me. For one thing, you’re not relying on him to be anything more than your fifth starter. And then I watched his start Wednesday against the Padres, where he allowed just an unearned run over seven innings against San Diego. To say he passed the eye test in that start is the understatement of understatements. He still has that sinking fastball that is so difficult to square up, and he commanded his secondary pitches on top of it. I cannot help but be intrigued by what a pitcher like this can do in Seattle’s lab.
The Marlins would have to eat some of Alcantara’s salary for this to make sense, and not demand an elite return on top of it. But I think Seattle would be foolish to not explore a chance to acquire him. There’s just too much to like, whether you want to admit it or not.
Atlanta: Nick Allen, SS
Christopher Crawford, first you’re telling me you want the Mariners to acquire a pitcher with an ERA above 6, and now you’re telling me you think Seattle should look into a hitter with an OPS of .558?
Yep. And let me be clear, the only way this makes sense is if you’re going to be acquiring a basher to play third base. We’ll talk about that in a second. But let’s just be honest: the defense at shortstop has been an issue for the Mariners in 2025. J.P. Crawford has done a terrific job of getting on base and hitting for average, and no longer has the range to be even an average shortstop. This is still a team built on run prevention. It’s problematic that this team has a player that according to Baseball Savant is in the second percentile in outs above average. Anyone who watched Wednesday’s game sees the problem.
Enter Allen, a player who is widely considered one of the best defenders in baseball, regardless of position. He can’t hit. He never will hit. But he can pick it, and he would make the Mariners better in 2025. And no, I’m not saying you trade Crawford for Allen. I’m saying you move Crawford to second base or maybe even designated hitter; the idea that your DH has to be a power-hitter is outdated. You want him to be able to hit, and Crawford can do that.
This probably won’t happen. In fact I’d bet a lot of money it won’t. But I think this is the type of move Seattle should be looking at. Now.
Washington Nationals: Andrew Chafin, LHP
I promise these get more exciting. But the Mariners need another left-hander in the bullpen if Brandyn Garcia isn’t that guy (note: Garcia could be that guy, it just isn’t a foregone conclusion) and Chafin could be that guy.
First of all, his mustache is cool. Ok, maybe that’s last of all, but I’m gonna include it. He’s a left-hander who doesn’t throw hard but does offer loads of deception in his delivery as seen in a chase rate of 34.6 percent, and left-handed hitters stand very little chance against them. It is worth noting that right-handed batters have an .864 OPS against them, but Seattle should be able to limit those chances and allow him to dominate southpaw hitters who have forged an unhealthy slash of .156/.308/.156. You’re reading that right, Chafin has not allowed a single extra-base hit against left-handed hitters.
I’d rather go get Danny Coulombe as mentioned in the American League column, but the cost for Chafin would be considerably lower. Plus, he has a really cool mustache.
St. Louis Cardinals: Brendan Donovan, INF
A couple things that could be an issue here: I don’t know if the Cardinals are really out of playoff contention, and I don’t know if Donovan would be available even if they aren’t. But I’m going to include him because I think he would make the Seattle Mariners a heck of a lot better in 2025. In 94 games, he’s hitting .295/.364/.427 with eight homers and three stolen bases.
Donovan’s power is far from elite, but his expected slugging percentage of .462 is a well above-average number (64th percentile). He offers a solid if unspectacular approach at the plate, he puts the ball in play at an upper-echelon level as seen in a strikeout rate of just 13.4 percent and a whiff rate of just 13.1 percent, and his expected batting average of .293 shows that his current average is anything but a fluke.
Donovan is also not an elite defender at any position, but he can play up the middle in the infield - second base being his best position there - and can handle the corner outfield, as well. The 28-year old’s contract is extremely favorable, so there would need to be a solid prospect return to justify this, but Seattle has more than enough to get a deal done without gutting the farm. I would love to see Donovan with the Mariners before the end of the deadline. Start rooting against St. Louis.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Oneil Cruz, OF
Oh. Oh yeah. This can absolutely happen. I was told by multiple people that while Cruz is not necessarily being marketed, the Pirates are taking phone calls. And Seattle should be -- if they aren’t already -- making those calls.
The numbers for Cruz tell the story of what he is: one of the most talented players in baseball who is also one of the most volatile. He’s hitting .219/.319/.419 after a three-reach game against the Tigers that also saw him steal two bases to push that total to 34. He’s homered 16 times, and quite frankly, there’s no one in baseball who makes louder contact. He averages 96.3 mph in exit velocity, he barrels the baseball 21.7 percent of the time, and he makes hard contact 57.5 percent of the time he makes contact.
But that only matters so much when you strike out as often as Cruz does. He swings and misses over a third of the time - 34 percent to be exact - and he has struck out in 32.3 percent of his plate appearances. He’s also made some defensive gaffes, but Mariner fans who saw his throw to get Cal Raleigh at the plate know that he’s got a weapons-grade throwing arm and the speed to be an elite outfielder.
The cost would be the only question for me. Cruz has the talent to be a superstar, and the floor is a player who is extremely valuable even if he does frustrate a time or two - likely more - in his time. If he’s truly available and it sounds like he just might be, this would be the type of guy Seattle should be all over.
Colorado Rockies: No Thanks
Yeah, there’s just nothing here I think that makes sense. Ryan McMahon has been mentioned as a target, but his road numbers scare the everloving you-know-what out of me, and he wouldn’t be a defensive upgrade on Ben Williamson. Pass.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Eugenio Suarez
I saved the best for last, with respect to Cruz. And honestly, there’s a few players the Mariners should be looking at here. Josh Naylor would be a massive upgrade to what they got at first base. Merrill Kelly makes a ton of sense as an upgrade to the rotation. Zac Gallen is similar to Alcantara as a pitcher who has loads of success and could bounce back in Seattle’s friendly confines.
Let’s be honest. It’s Suarez. It’s Geno. It’s Good Vibes. No, he’s not the defender he used to be. Yes, there is a lot of competition here because the Yankees and Cubs - among others - need to upgrade at the hot corner. But it’s the most obvious reunion to ever happen. The Mariners need offense at third. Eugenio Suarez has been one of the best hitters in baseball and plays third base. How do you not make this happen? Just do it.
These are not all the players who are on the trade market, obviously, and Jerry Dipoto has pulled off a surprise or two. But this should give you an idea of what’s available on the market. Maybe it’s not the best deadline group ever, but there’s more than enough available to make Seattle closer to a World Series contender.
We’ll see what happens.
