MLB rumors: Mariners linked to 2 Diamondbacks stars ahead of trade deadline
The Mariners are in danger of ceding the division to the Astros once again but the team could turn to the trade market for help.
With the MLB trade deadline on the horizon the Seattle Mariners are considered a team to watch. Seattle must decide if it will add reinforcements this season to help the club return to the playoffs for just the second time in the last 23 years.
Seattle is rumored to be interested in adding a middle-of-the-lineup bat at a corner infield spot. With that need and plenty of talented prospects in the farm system to make a trade happen, the Mariners “match up perfectly with the Diamondbacks for either [Josh] Naylor or a reunion with [Eugenio] Suarez,” according to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden.
Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto is under increasing pressure to get a deal done to bolster the batting order. “With such a strong farm system and ownership willing to increase payroll, there is no excuse not to [make a trade] this year,” Bowden wrote.
Will the Mariners pursue Naylor or Suarez through a trade?
After leading the American League West for most of the 2025 season, the Mariners are in danger of once again finishing the campaign behind the Houston Astros in the division and missing the playoffs for the second straight year.
Last season Seattle was active at the trade deadline adding outfielder Randy Arozarena, veteran infielder Justin Turner and relievers Yimi Garcia and JT Chargois. Unfortunately these moves didn’t pay off and Houston hung on to win the AL West.
This season the Mariners once again boast an impressive starting rotation (when healthy) as well as key offensive pieces. The team is also enjoying a career year from Cal Raleigh, who leads the majors in home runs and is widely considered the best catcher in baseball.
The addition of either Naylor or Saurez would represent an improvement for Seattle. But the question remains, are the Mariners an offensive-minded corner infielder away from making a playoff run?
The team is particularly lacking offensive production from first base and right field. However, starting right fielder Victor Robles, who enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Mariners in 2024, could return from injury to stabilize the outfield. He’s been sidelined since early April with a dislocated left shoulder.
First baseman Josh Naylor is putting together a strong debut season with Arizona. And he would certainly look good batting fifth in the Mariners’ lineup, offering protection for Raleigh in the four hole.
After a slow start, the Diamondbacks could be motivated to sell at the deadline. But the Mariners must decide if they’re all in on the 2025 season. The Astros appear vulnerable for once after losing Kyle Tucker over the offseason and navigating key injuries during the year. Still, Houston has a 3.5 game lead over Seattle entering play on Thursday.
What ESPN’s Passan says has ‘hindered’ Mariners’ major league offense
The Seattle Mariners were hot at the plate to begin this season, but they’ve been anything but since early May.
As the bats have gone cold, Seattle has fallen to a 33-32 record on the year after going 13-20 since May 4. The M’s led the AL West for the majority of the first two months, but entered Tuesday three games back of the Houston Astros (36-29) for the division lead.
Seattle Mariners place Bryce Miller on IL, recall Logan Evans
At the same time, the Mariners feature perhaps the best group of prospects in baseball. Seattle has an MLB-high nine players ranked in the top 100 prospects by MLB Pipeline, including seven position players.
ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan made sense of the dichotomy between the highly-ranked hitters in the Mariners’ farm system and the team’s offensive performance in the big leagues when he joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk for his usual Tuesday conversation.
“Every team has its own different stew of what it weighs when it comes to the pro side. You know, some teams are more scouting-heavy, some teams are more analytics-heavy,” Passan said. “I would say the Mariners probably fall more into the analytics camp than other organizations do, but they’re not extremely so on that side like some organizations. Like, the Brewers are almost an entirely model-dependent team. The Mariners, they’re not quite there, but they rely heavily on their model.
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