Mariners Trade Deadline: 2 teams with bullpen targets

The Seattle Mariners’ needs at the trade deadline have become pretty clear throughout this season.

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The club is in search of a right-handed bat to help balance its struggling and left-handed-heavy lineup, and another arm to fortify its bullpen.

In terms of where it could look for the latter, ESPN’s Buster Olney named a couple teams when he joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Friday.

“It’ll be interesting to see if the Mariners wind up landing one of the New York Mets,” Olney said. “They have a deep roster of relievers who are available in the trade market. And the Toronto Blue Jays – those seem to be two teams that might be a good fit for Seattle in making a move.”

Let’s take a look at each bullpen to see who the M’s could go after.

Mets

Any conversation about the Mets bullpen has to start with right-hander Luke Weaver, a former Mariner.

The 32-year-old Weaver has developed into one of the games more dependable bullpen arms since around the time he was designated for assignment following a brief stint with Seattle in late 2023.

Since the start of the 2024 season, the right-hander has a 2.94 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over 189 2/3 innings. He’s fifth in innings pitched and fourth in WHIP among MLB relievers during that stretch.

Weaver is also having his best season as a big leaguer this year with a 1.98 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with 43 strikeouts to 11 walks over 41 innings. He’s under contract through 2027, which includes a $12.5 million salary next year.

Other candidates in New York’s bullpen include Huascar Brazobán, Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter and Devin Williams.

The 36-year-old Brazobán, who is under club control through 2029, is also having his best MLB season. The right-hander is sporting a 2.76 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 49 innings. Batters are hitting just .174 against him, but command is a bit of an issue for Brazobán, who has an 11.3% walk rate.

Raley, a left-hander, has continued to be effective in his age-38 season with a 2.15 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 37 2/3 innings. He’s been one of the game’s better lefty relievers since 2022, compiling a league-best 2.47 ERA over 178 2/3 innings over that stretch. Raley would be a true rental. He also has a bit of a negative history with the Mariners from his time in Houston.

Minter, another rental lefty, has been solid since returning in from May from a left lat tear suffered in April 2025. He has a 2.45 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 22 innings, but his 4.10 FIP suggests he’s been a little lucky. There’s also some durability concerns since the 32 year old has spent time on the IL in every season since 2023, including ending the year on the IL the past two seasons.

The 31-year-old Williams is worth a mention here due to his track record as a two-time All-Star and former NL Rookie of the Year. But he hasn’t been the same pitcher since the start of 2025 and is set to make $12 million in 2027 and 2028, making him a very unlikely target for the M’s. He has a 4.54 ERA in 33 2/3 innings this year.

Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have a couple of very obvious top candidates in All-Star closer Louis Varland and soft-tossing submariner Tyler Rogers, though they could decide to hold on to both since they likely plan to contend next season.

The 28-year-old Varland has a sparkling 1.04 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 52 innings while converting all 21 of his save attempts. He’s fifth among MLB relievers in ERA and strikeout rate (35.2%), trailing only San Diego’s Mason Miller, Philadelphia’s Jhoan Duran, Pittsburgh’s Mason Montgomery and Seattle’s Andrés Muñoz in the latter category.

Varland is under club control through 2030 and expected to begin arbitration next year as a Super Two qualifier.

Despite averaging just 83.2 mph on his sinker, the 35-year-old Rogers’ unorthodox delivery and his rising slider have helped him be one of baseball’s better relievers for quite some time. Among relievers with at least 200 innings pitched since 2022, his 2.67 ERA is 11th and his 4.8% walk rate is fourth.

Rogers has a 1.54 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 46 2/3 innings this year. He’s set to make $13.67 million the next two seasons and has a vesting option for 2029.

While Varland and Rogers would be the preferrable options, veteran right-hander Jeff Hoffman seems to be the most likely Blue Jays reliever to be on the move.

An All-Star for Philadelphia in 2024, Hoffman hasn’t matched his past effectiveness since signing with Toronto before last season. But this year he’s seems to be on the unfortunate side of some bad luck. In 44 innings, he has a 4.30 ERA but a 2.74 FIP. One thing the 33-year-old Hoffman still does rather well is generate swing and miss. His 33.5% strikeout rate is 12th among MLB relievers in 2026. Hoffman is set to make $12.67 million in the final year of his contract in 2027.

Seattle Mariners news and more

• Why Salk says Seattle Mariners should trade for elite closer Mason Miller
• Seattle Mariners open to trading a different SP than expected, per report
• For all the trades M’s make, there are three teams they haven’t dealt with

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