Passan: A potential offseason trade partner for the Mariners

Sep 10, 2024, 12:20 PM | Updated: 1:07 pm

Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto in 2023. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

BY ZAC HERETH

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Mariners are heading into an offseason similar to the past two.

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Once again, the Mariners need to improve their offense to support one of baseball’s best pitching staffs.

Some of that improvement could come through signing bats in free agency, but recent offseasons suggest the front office won’t have the financial flexibility to make the multiple splashes needed to bolster the lineup. If that is the situation, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto could be one of baseball’s busiest executives in the trade market, which is typically the case anyways.

The Baltimore Orioles have often been brought up as an ideal trade fit with the M’s due to their wealth of young hitting talent at or near the major-league level and lack of pitching depth. However, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan thinks there is another team from the American League East that lines up well with Seattle as a potential trade partner this offseason.

“We brought up Baltimore. I’ll say this, one team I think is interesting is Boston,” Passan told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday. “Remember the prospects Baltimore had in recent years that they promoted? Boston doesn’t have quite the depth, but they’ve got a number of really, really good, high-end hitting prospects. And maybe you don’t get the high-end hitting prospects, maybe you get someone from their big-league roster.”

Names to watch

Indeed, Boston’s farm system is rich with hitting talent. All eight of the organization’s top prospects are hitters, according to MLB Pipeline. And the Red Sox have a few promising, young hitters currently in the majors.

So, who could the Mariners target from Boston?

“I don’t think they would trade Jarren Duran, but they’ve got Ceddanne Rafaela who can play center field, they’ve got Roman Anthony coming who can play center field,” Passan said. “Can you get Marcelo Mayer? Probably not. But then again, Rafaela is a guy that is signed to a reasonable contract long-term (and) plays shortstop and center field.”

Duran was the All-Star Game MVP in July and has followed up a breakout 2023 season with an even better 2024. The 28-year-old center fielder is slashing .289/.347./513 with league highs of 44 doubles and 13 triples to go along with 21 home runs, 71 RBIs and 32 stolen bases in 142 games. He also grades out as one of the game’s best defensive center fielders, although he would probably move to a corner outfield spot if the M’s somehow managed to swing a deal for him.

Rafaela, 22, is in his first full season in the majors and has had an up-and-down season. The former top-100 prospect is sporting a .253/.282/.407 slash line with 21 doubles, five triples, 15 home runs, 69 RBIs and 15 walks in 138 games this season. His top tools include speed and a strong arm, but he’s been a below-league-average hitter and average defender this year.

Mayer, a shortstop rated as the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball, is having a stellar season in Double-A. In 77 games, he’s slashing .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

Anthony is the No. 13 overall prospect in baseball and has already reached Triple-A at just 20 years old. In 107 games across two levels of the minors this season, he’s slashing .285/.379/.501 with 28 doubles, four triples, 58 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. Since being promoted to Triple-A, he’s hitting .340 with a .961 OPS and 12 extra-base hits in 23 games.

“The matchup is there with the Red Sox, who desperately need starting pitching, and the Mariners, who desperately need bats,” Passan said. “Seems to be one that would fit.”

Who the M’s could trade away

The difficult part of making a trade for the Mariners is that it likely comes with the cost of giving up one of their young, talented starting pitchers. Passan believes the best move would be to trade the starter who the team feels has the worst chance of staying healthy. Past injury histories would suggest that is right-hander Bryan Woo, who has been absolutely dominant when healthy this season.

How much value does a standout pitcher that has an injury history like the 24-year-old Woo have?

“He’s worth a lot because when he’s on the mound, man, he’s so good,” Passan said. “And I think there are teams out there that would say – they would never say this publicly, they say internally – we feel like we know how to keep guys healthy.”

Listen to the full conversation with ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.