Analysis: Six Trades Mariners Could Make to Bolster Roster This Offseason
While free agency is often the big draw of the MLB offseason, with superstar players and notable agents donning jerseys under flash of camera as unthinkable sums of money become set to change hands, the world of trades is no stranger to the capture of big fish. The Seattle Mariners are in a better offseason position than they have had in a generation, but they still have holes that they can readily address through trades.
Trades come in many flavors. Some are titanic blockbusters that completely change the makeup of a franchise (perhaps less so in baseball than in a sport like basketball with less players on a roster, but still true in the MLB nonetheless) while others are tune-ups that fly under the radar. Still other deals make perfect sense for both teams involved, filling a hole and unclogging a jam on both squads.
Without further introduction, here are two under the radar deals, two obvious trades, and two blockbuster mega-moves that the Mariners might want to make in the offseason:
Under the Radar Trade Proposal No. 1: Mariners acquire LHP Adrian Morejón from Padres for INF/OF Dominic Canzone.
One of the things the Mariners needed at the end of 2025 was a high-end lefty arm to complete the bullpen, as although their big four relievers did the job well enough during the regular season, the Toronto Blue Jays developed enough familiarity with them to break past Seattle in Game 7. The Mariners’ attempt to address this at the trade deadline with Caleb Ferguson did not end up panning out, but in the offseason, they could make a bold move for an elite arm.
Enter Padres southpaw Adrian Morejón, who had a 2.08 ERA, 0.896 WHIP, and 2.28 FIP over 73 ⅔ innings in 2025. He relies mainly on his high-velocity, high-run sinker for the volume of his work, with his slider and (less frequently) his changeup appearing in pitchers’ counts. Although he made light use of a cutter, four-seam, and even a knuckleball, he got the best bang for his buck out of his top three pitches.
Trading Dominic Canzone for Morejón would address both the Mariners’ need of another big lefty reliever and the Padres’ need of another outfielder. Canzone has a fair number of conflicting indicators from his 2025 season: on the one hand, his .354 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) indicates that Canzone should regress significantly in the future, but his 49.7 percent hard hit rate, 92.3 mile per hour average exit velocity, and .518 StatCast expected slugging percentage indicate a potential breakout star. While this should more than intrigue the Padres, a Canzone for Morejón deal could backfire on Seattle if he does put together an All-Star caliber year, especially if Seattle doesn’t find another right fielder in the offseason. Still, it offers a good amount of upside for the M’s, especially if they aren’t as high on Canzone as they’re projecting.
Under the Radar Trade Proposal No. 2: Mariners acquire OF Andy Pages from Dodgers for RHP Eduard Bazardo and IF Tai Peete.
This one’s out of left field. Or center, or right - Andy Pages can play anywhere in the outfield, as he proved with an improbable catch to save the Dodgers’ World Series this year. But with the M’s in need of a good defensive outfielder with a consistent enough bat, they could very well tap the defending champion Pages for that role. Pages excelled in every defensive metric in 2025, with a 97th percentile 11 outs above average (OAA) and eight defensive runs saved (DRS), while his .272/.313/.461 slash line and 114 OPS+ made him no slouch with the bat either.
There are clear downsides to Pages, however. His plate discipline is so bad that he ruined one of Emmanuel Clase’s illegal bets by swinging at an intentional ball, so it’s no surprise that he has a sixth percentile walk rate. He doesn’t hit the ball especially hard either. However, given that Pages will be just 25 in the 2026 season, there is a good chance he is able to work out these issues with more experience.
On the other end of the deal, Eduard Bazardo would fill the one lacking role in the Dodgers organization, that of the bullpen. He was the Mariners’ lockdown stopper in 2025, with a 2.52 ERA and 1.017 WHIP in 78 ⅔ innings. While the Mariners would be giving up a top-end reliever (and as previously mentioned, they had one too few of those in 2025), Bazardo is due for regression with a 3.64 FIP and .228 BABIP, while the Mariners would be selling high. Peete, who projects as a shortstop or third baseman, would complete the trade with an extra infield prospect for a Dodgers farm that is comparatively (to the rest of their top-tier system) light on those - but the Dodgers might balk at Peete’s worryingly light minor league production despite his young age.
Obvious Trade Proposal No. 1: Mariners acquire OF Steven Kwan from Guardians for C Harry Ford.
The Mariners need another high-contact, low-strikeout guy to complement their high-power, high-strikeout guys - and be less affected by any contagious slumps among them. They would surely like to have an upgrade in their left field defense, and an unclear designated hitter situation allows the Mariners to move Randy Arozarena there if they do grab a left fielder.
Cleveland’s Steven Kwan is a pretty obvious choice as to someone who fits that mold. He has one of the most controlled bats in all of baseball, whiffing less than anyone and making the best of his very low bat speed with some of the highest “squared-up” percentages (measuring how often a player gets 80 percent or more of their potential energy into the ball) in the game. Despite a slightly below-average .705 OPS in 2025, that is generally where his floor lies, and Kwan has put up seasons near a 130 OPS+ in the past. Transferring from an environment in Cleveland where he is depended on for much of the team’s production to a team like the Mariners, where there are other guys to pass the baton to, could also help him see better pitches and hang near his ceiling of around a .370 on base percentage.
The Guardians, meanwhile, might want another catcher to add to the crew of Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges, and one with upside outside of the position would offer them flexibility to augment the lineup. Although Hedges signed an extension with Cleveland early in the offseason, a further decline with the bat could make the Guardians look to limit his usage despite his being one of the best defenders in the game. Even if Cleveland chooses to depend on Hedges as their backup again in 2026 (as is likely, since despite his issues with the bat, he still had positive value in 2025 according to Fangraphs), Ford’s profile indicates potential positional flexibility that would give the Guardians strong upside. The deal could end up being left fielder for left fielder, in which case Cleveland could look to Ford’s youth as the thing they get from the swap.
Obvious Trade Proposal No. 2: Mariners acquire IF Nico Hoerner from Cubs for RHP Luis Castillo.
This one’s a bit unrealistic and a bit hard to justify not calling it a blockbuster, but it does fill two obvious holes on both teams. Seattle is in need of infield help, and while Cole Young has looked promising at times, the M’s could go for a one-year, $12 million rental of a two-time Gold Glover at second with solid offensive production. The second of the Cubs’ second baseman’s Gold Gloves came in 2025, when he accrued 17 DRS and 15 OAA, metrics backed up by the eye test.
With the bat, Hoerner slashed .297/.345/.394, seldom striking out or missing a swing but not walking much or generating a lot of power. Still, that profile of hitter is something (as previously mentioned) that Seattle needs to complement their power hitters. His low walks do lower his ceiling for on base percentage, but the M’s would also have the advantage of getting a guy in his contract year.
Chicago, meanwhile, has a studded lineup but a somewhat shaky pitching core with age questions. While Luis Castillo wouldn’t be much of a surge of youth compared to Colin Rea, his 3.54 ERA and 3.88 FIP would be an upgrade and he has two extra years of club control compared to Rea, while his experience and clubhouse presence would be strong intangibles to get the Cubs over the playoff hump. Chicago would be buying high on the Mariner hurler, however, and a noticeable late season decline in the effectiveness of Castillo’s sinker might worry the North Side.
Blockbuster Trade Proposal No. 1: Mariners acquire LHP Tarik Skubal from Tigers for a haul of prospects.
This is the trade that everyone has been talking about since the Seattle Times’ Adam Jude proposed it back on Halloween. It’s wholly dependent on Tarik Skubal’s contract extension talks and whether the Tigers decide to pay him long-term, something both the team and Skubal have expressed interest in but a discussion that reportedly has a long way to go. If Detroit locks their man down for good, there won’t be any Skubal trade involving the M’s or any other team, but until that happens, SoDo is still in the market for the former Seattle University Redhawk.
With Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby forming a core of ace-caliber pitchers that will be with the team for a while, adding Tarik Skubal to the mix would produce something approaching an unheard-of five-ace rotation headed by one of the best hurlers on the planet. Seattle would have the flexibility to keep Luis Castillo on a sixth man, trade Castillo, or trade another one of their pitchers. There’s a good chance that the team will make room for Emerson Hancock to try his hand at starting one more time in 2026, so acquiring Skubal while dealing Castillo to another team might be something the team would look at.
Jude proposed a move of Logan Evans, Jurrangelo Cijntje, and Felnin Celesten for Skubal. Since the Mariners would only be getting one year of Skubal, the Tigers wouldn’t be able to get a true king’s ransom for their ace, but the bidding war could get hefty in the event no extension is signed. Any exact prospect package might look different, but it’s unlikely that Colt Emerson will get dealt in the offseason given the team’s expectation of bringing him to the big-league squad.
Blockbuster Trade Proposal No. 2: Mariners acquire OF Wilyer Abreu from Red Sox for Luis Castillo and a haul of prospects.
The true king’s ransom might end up going to the Red Sox. With Roman Anthony bringing Corinthian treasures to the outfield in the Sox’ future, Boston is likely to part with either Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu. Duran, who had an MVP-caliber season in 2024, signed a $7.7 million extension to avoid arbitration for one year, but there is still talk of the Red Sox moving him, while Abreu will have his first year of arbitration in 2027.
Duran slashed .256/.332/.442 with 16 home runs, 41 doubles, and 13 triples, down from his breakout 2024 but still with a 114 OPS+ and a league lead in triples. However, his double-reliant attack might not translate well to T-Mobile Park, and his .326 BABIP indicates that Duran is due for regression in the future. Duran’s defense has fluctuated year-to-year, but with his elite speed, he does project as a strong glove.
Wilyer Abreu seems like a better fit in Seattle. He has both elite range and an elite arm with had a similar hitting output to Duran in 2025, sporting a .247/.317/.469 slash line and 116 OPS+. His .277 BABIP does give some hint of positive regression on the way, but it’s worth noting that Abreu’s StatCast expected numbers were almost exactly in line with his actual numbers, as his propensity for fly balls decreases his chances of any given batted ball dropping in for a hit.
Trading Castillo to the Red Sox - sensible if the team brings in another starting pitcher - would also fill one of Boston’s positional needs. It was apparent in their Wild Card round against the Yankees that although they had a bona-fide ace in Garrett Crochet, they were lacking starting depth beyond that, and moving a proven arm to Beantown is something that Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow should be keen on doing.
But getting a near-All Star and back-to-back Gold Glove winner making league minimum will take a far heftier price than just Castillo, especially since there aren’t a whole lot of outfielders remaining on the trade market since Taylor Ward packed up for Baltimore. Any deal involving Abreu would likely involve two or more top 100 ranked prospects making the trip across I-90, perhaps including Kade Anderson, Michael Arroyo, Ryan Sloan, or others.
