Ahead of trade deadline, M’s fans should be rooting against D-backs

June is entering its final week, which means the Seattle Mariners and the rest of MLB are drawing nearer to the July 31 trade deadline.

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Sitting in the AL wild card mix, the M’s are in position to be a buyer at the deadline, and one with deep pockets when it comes to prospect capital. The one problem for Seattle on that front, though, is that there haven’t been many clear sellers emerging just yet.

“I think there’s only like six obvious sellers,” USA Today MLB writer Bob Nightengale told Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Monday. “But that’s how much parity there is in the game. No one’s really pulled away.”

One team that is currently on the bubble of being a buyer or seller is the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are 39-38 but in fourth place in the stacked NL West. The Diamondbacks are a team Nightengale sees as a trade partner that could best address the Mariners’ needs.

“If I’m the Mariners (or) Mariners fans, I root hard every night against the Arizona Diamondbacks,” Nightengale said. “… They have some great chips, especially the power bats.”

Diamondbacks trade candidates

Nightengale highlighted first baseman Josh Naylor and former Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suárez as players that would fit with Seattle.

Suárez, who Seattle traded to the Diamondbacks after the 2023 season, is having a career year and on pace to post power numbers even he hasn’t reached before. The 33 year old is batting .251 with an .890 OPS, 25 home runs and a league-high 67 RBIs. He’s third among MLB third baseman with a 140 wRC+ (100 is league average) and on pace for 53 home runs this season, which would break his previous career best of 49.

Naylor is having another productive year in his first season with Arizona. He’s fifth in the NL with a .303 batting average while posting an .823 OPS, nine home runs, 41 RBIs and a 127 wRC+.

The Mariners have struggled offensively at both third base and first base this season. The clubs ranks 27th in the league in slugging (.304) and 23rd in wRC+ (80) at third base. It’s 28th in on-base percentage (.266) and 22nd at wRC+ (92) at first base.

“For the Mariners, they’ve done enough trades, too, with the Diamondbacks. There’s a good relationship between the two front offices,” Nightengale said. “If the Diamondbacks are out of it, I would think Seattle would be all over Suárez.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

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