5 Non-Obvious Sellers Mariners Could Buy From on Trade Market
With a little over six weeks left until the July 31 trade deadline, the Mariners find themselves in the same position as a lot of MLB teams right now: still figuring out exactly where they belong in the bigger picture of the 2025 season. After sweeping the Guardians over the weekend, they trail the Astros by 4.5 games for first place in the American League West and currently have sole possession of the AL’s third and final wild-card spot by half a game. They’re also getting healthier, with Logan Gilbert set to make his first start since April 27 against the Red Sox on Monday night and Luke Raley expected back in the next week or two.
They’ve also lost 20 of their last 34 games, and legitimate questions about the club’s talent level remain even with the incoming reinforcements. Can they stay in the mix long enough that it still makes sense for them to be aggressive buyers at the deadline once the trade market opens up? The answer to that question actually may not matter to a certain degree. The Mariners may very well attempt to add to their major-league roster for 2026 and potentially beyond even if they view contention in 2025 as unlikely. Whatever the circumstances may be, though, let’s take a look at five teams who aren’t the White Sox, Marlins, Rockies, or Pirates they could buy from in the coming weeks.
Red Sox
Let’s get this out of the way since the Red Sox are the talk of the league following their blockbuster trade of Rafael Devers to the Giants on Sunday. It’s natural to look at that deal and come to the conclusion they’re open to trading even more significant pieces off their major-league roster, and maybe they are, but there’s also the possibility their well-documented feud with Devers reached a point of no return and the trigger was pulled independent of how they feel about 2025 as a whole. Either way, they’re irrefutably worse after trading one of baseball’s best hitters, so even if they believe they can still compete this year, reality may eventually smack them in the face. If so, they have multiple young, established major-league bats such as Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu who could be available if the Mariners want to try and take a big swing, as well as solid role players like Rob Refsnyder and some intriguing bullpen rentals like Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson.
Rays
Even though the Rays are currently 2.5 games better than the Mariners in the wild-card standings, they’re typically open to anything at any time. The two clubs have a great working relationship with one another, most recently coming together on the deal that brought Randy Arozarena to Seattle last summer, and definitely make sense as trade partners once again. Harry Ford is the big name to watch here; Seattle apparently has no plans to move him off of catcher where he’s blocked at the big-league level by Cal Raleigh, and Tampa Bay has long coveted him and seem to be in need of its catcher of the future. The Mariners have also shown great interest in Yandy Díaz over the past year or so and are expected to be in the market for a first baseman, though Brandon Lowe, Josh Lowe, Garrett Cleavinger, and Pete Fairbanks could make sense here as well.
Royals
The Royals are skidding and now sit 11.5 games back of first place in the AL Central at a record of 34-38. Should those struggles continue, they’d make for a fascinating trade partner for the Mariners this summer. Vinnie Pasquantino is the most obvious potential target here given the Mariners’ need at first base and the arrival of Jac Caglianone in Kansas City, though Caglianone has struggled mightily to start his major-league career and Pasquantino could prove too expensive for a career 112 wRC+ first baseman whose season-high in home runs is a modest 19. Instead, this might be where Seattle finds bullpen help, with Lucas Erceg and John Schreiber standing out as two veteran options who could fill a mid-to-high-leverage role.
Braves
The baseball world has collectively waited for the Braves to climb their way back from a rough start to the season, but it still hasn’t happened and it’s hard not to wonder at this point if it never will. If they’re roughly in the same spot as they are right now by the deadline, what will they be willing to sell outside of Marcell Ozuna, who’s set to hit free agency this winter? Could Matt Olson and/or Ozzie Albies be on the table? Would the Mariners even be interested if so? Albies has been horrendous this year, running a 78 wRC+ over the course of 296 plate appearances, and Olson, despite being a great fit for Seattle in a vacuum, is locked in to make $22 million annually through 2029. The real reason the Braves are on this list, though, is because they have a truckload of quality reliever options the Mariners could look to add, including Aaron Bummer, Pierce Johnson, and Dylan Lee, as well as former Mariners Enyel De Los Santos and Rafael Montero.
Nationals
The Mariners were reportedly hot on Nathaniel Lowe’s trail before the Rangers traded him to the Nationals this past winter, so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if they circle back, even with Lowe struggling to the tune of an 89 wRC+ at the time of this writing. Washington has some other interesting pieces not named Lowe, CJ Abrams, or James Wood, though. That includes Alex Call, a late-bloomer who’s slashing .301/.396/.449 with a 14.9 percent strikeout rate and 11 percent walk rate since April 27, 2024 and may not fit the Nationals’ timeline due to him being 30 years old already. Kyle Finnegan and Jose A. Ferrer are also a couple names to keep an eye on here as bullpen options.
