Mariners’ depth could mean a different kind of trade deadline

The Seattle Mariners have regularly taken big swings before the MLB trade deadline in recent years.

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In 2024, the M’s made four trades ahead of the deadline, which included perhaps the biggest acquisition of any team during that season in All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena.

And last year, Seattle made three deals around the deadline, headlined by the acquisitions of All-Star sluggers Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez that helped push them to a division title and American League Championship Series appearance.

This season, though, the Mariners may take a different approach, as ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan explained during his weekly Tuesday conversation with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

Passan’s point came out of a discussion about the M’s not having many clear-cut All-Star candidates this season even though they’ve been one of the best teams in the AL.

“I think it says that they have a lot of good players. Like, their one through 26 is really solid,” Passan said. “You have some top-heavy teams, and the (AL-leading Tampa Bay) Rays have come back to earth recently, but they just have a few good hitters who have been really good and a few pitchers who have been really good, and the rest not so much. The Mariners have depth. …. They’re just a deep enough team where there can be heroes who come from everywhere.”

That led to a question from co-host Mike Salk: What does that mean for the Mariners at the trade deadline?

Passan said the M’s could always look to make improvements in the bullpen, but it’s hard to improve on their generally strong depth with their position players and starting rotation.

“Isn’t the goal a significant upgrade at this point?” Passan said.

“It has to be,” Salk responded. “There isn’t a lot of marginal upgrade I’d be interested in. That to me would just be for the sake of moving.”

“That’s why this could be a slow deadline for the Mariners,” Passan said, “and I don’t know that I would begrudge them at all for that.

“Our instinct as fans, though, is to want our team to do something – ‘Come on, show us you’re doing something.’ But the truth is, sometimes doing something isn’t the right thing to do.”

Hear the full Brock and Salk conversation with ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan in the podcast at this link or in the player below. Catch Brock and Salk from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

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