Mariners’ Dipoto drops a big hint about MLB trade deadline

The Seattle Mariners have some clear needs ahead of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline, but not a very clear path to addressing them.

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That’s because the MLB playoff picture is about as crowded as ever, especially in the American League where the AL West-leading Mariners (47-44) are one of just five teams with a record over .500 entering Monday.

With that in mind, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto dropped some interesting insight Sunday on The Front Office, a weekly show on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio, that seems like a hint on how the M’s will look to improve on the trade market.

“I think there are enough contending teams with real holes or needs to fill that you might actually see more action with contender trading with contender – like, buyer-to-buyer type trades to fill voids,” Dipoto said.

Those kinds of trades have been a rarity at the trade deadline, where it’s more typical for a “buying” team to trade prospects to a “selling team” for experienced MLB players that can help in a playoff race and the postseason.

“It’s not a common thing in history at the trade deadline, but I do think that that is something that’s going to be pretty prominent in the next four or five weeks,” Dipoto continued, “simply because there aren’t enough obvious sellers with the kind of player availability that’s going to fill the needs of all of the contending clubs.”

"That is something that is going to be pretty prominent over the next four to five weeks."

A thin seller's market could force front office executives to get crafty at this year's deadline 👀@Mariners | #TridentsUp
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— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) July 5, 2026

What it means for the M’s

Based on what Dipoto said, who on Seattle’s active roster could be on the trading block?

The Mariners’ biggest need is for right-handed bats to balance out a lefty-heavy lineup that ranks last in MLB against left-handed pitching in average (.210), slugging (.331) and OPS (.626), and is only one point from also being last in on-base (.295). They could also use help in a bullpen that’s a bit short with key leverage arm Matt Brash on the injured list.

Seattle has redundancy in a few places it could trade from.

Luke Raley (14 homers, .759 OPS) and Dominic Canzone (14 homers, .900 OPS) are both lefty-swinging sluggers who play in the outfield. The eventual return of utility man Brendan Donovan, who also hits from the left side, could lead to some playing time complications, especially with the entirety of Seattle’s current starting infield (first baseman Josh Naylor, second baseman Cole Young, third baseman J.P. Crawford and shortstop Colt Emerson) all being lefty hitters.

Then there’s the rotation where the Mariners not only have six healthy and effective starting pitchers (teams typically rely on five-man rotations), but also have left-handed prospect Kade Anderson, the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft, dominating in Double-A.

Finally, catcher depth gives the Mariners the ability to look into making a minor move. Both Mitch Garver and Jhonny Pereda hit well when Cal Raleigh was out of action due to injury from mid-May to mid-June. Pereda was the odd man out when Raleigh returned, receiving an option to Triple-A Tacoma.

Seattle Mariners news and more

• Mariners Trade Deadline: What’s the market for right-handed bats?
• Mariners can cast a wider net than others at trade deadline
• Seattle Mariners Mock Draft Roundup: Four names to know

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