MLB trade deadline: Could Mariners target bat, reliever together?

The Seattle Mariners have a few different avenues they can go down to improve their club before the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

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The most obvious need is an impact bat, and the Mariners have flexibility in terms of the position that hitter could play. First base and third base are the two most obvious spots, and second base is a closer third.

Another likely area where Seattle could aim to upgrade is the bullpen, as the Mariners could strengthen the bridge between their starting rotation and a back-end of the bullpen led by All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz and setup men Matt Brash and Gabe Speier.

As MLB Network insider Jon Morosi pointed out Wednesday during his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, the Mariners may be able to shop for both on the same street. In this case, he pointed to a couple of teams in the stacked NL West where the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants are all in the thick of the playoff race.

“I still think that they need one more bat,” Morosi said. “Whether it’s (Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman) Eugenio Suárez, whether it’s (Colorado Rockies third baseman) Ryan McMahon, there are some different possibilities out there. And I also believe the bullpen will be an area where they look to add one more piece.”

Both the D-backs and Rockies have relievers that Morosi suggested could be paired with one of the aforementioned third basemen in the same trade.

“In talking with the team that has an infielder to move, hypothetically the Rockies with McMahon, then maybe you say, hey, how about a a Jake Bird?” Morosi said. “When you look at different situations like that, you consider the Diamondbacks with Suárez and with Kevin Ginkel. Those are the possibilities that I think are out there that that could come to fruition in the coming week.”

Bird, a 29-year-old right-hander, is enjoying his best MLB season to date with a 3.62 ERA, 1.389 WHIP and 1.2 bWAR in 40 appearances for Colorado. Ginkel, a 31-year-old righty, had good years in 2023 and 2024 with Arizona but has struggled this season (8.18 ERA in 25 games). He has been much better over the last month, though, posting a 1.80 ERA with nine strikeouts and just two walks over his last 10 outings.

Catch Wyman and Bob live from 2-7 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

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