The Seattle Mariners broke their playoff drought in the 2022 MLB season and were looking to carry that over to the 2023 season. However, the Mariners are now in an interesting spot, where they might not be playoff contenders in 2023, but their core of players is still intact.
The Mariners might bee one of those teams in 2023 in which they are both buyers and sellers at the same time. I am going to advocate that they should be one of those teams.
The American League West is one of the toughest divisions in baseball. The Texas Rangers are among the best teams, and the Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros are ahead of the Mariners as well. There is very little hope that the Mariners, who are at .500, will catch the Rangers to win the division this season. The Astros are gettable, as well as the Angels. However, the Astros have a proven track record of winning, and should perform better when healthy. The Angels seem to finally have found some players to support Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.
The Mariners will likely have to make a run to compete with a ton of wild card teams. That does not mean that they should abandon key pieces to their long-term window. This is still a foundation that a team could compete with. However, there are some pieces the team should consider selling off. Using prospects to add a player who fits the long-term window is not the worst idea either. You can only add players via trade in the winter and at the MLB trade deadline.
With that being said, let's get into the three players who must be on the trade block for the Mariners ahead of the 2023 MLB trade deadline.
3. SS Cole Young
If the Mariners are looking to add a long-term piece to their team, shortstop prospect Cole Young could be a good candidate. The team has a solid shortstop in JP Crawford, and Cole Young still has significant time left in the minor leagues. He is in single-A with the Modesto Nuts.
Part of why Young might be expendable as well is that the Mariners also have another shortstop prospect in Flenin Celesten. He is in rookie ball. While he is behind Young when it comes to developing, single-A is the next step for Celesten.
The Mariners should be active in the buyer's market looking for players who fit their long-term plan. Using a prospect like Cole Young to add someone to the roster could be a savvy move.
2. RP Paul Sewald
If the Mariners are not in contention by the time the 2023 MLB trade deadline comes around, relief pitcher Paul Sewald could be someone that the Mariners get some value with.
The interesting component here is that the Mariners could look for the usual prospects in return for a player like Paul Sewald, but they could also look for a win-win trade with another buyer to get a piece that fits their timeline. Sewald is a reliable reliever who is under arbitration through the 2024 season. The Mariners could be opportunistic in trading him at this year's deadline.
1. OF Teoscar Hernandez
The biggest move the Mariners made in the offseason was adding outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. He had a slow start to the 2023 season, but has turned things around as of late. He has a proven track record of being a productive player with the Toronto Blue Jays.
However, Teoscar Hernandez is in the final year of arbitration, so he is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason. The Mariners are not a team that is known for having a high payroll. If the team is not in contention by the trade deadline, they should absolutely see what they can get for Hernandez. He would be one of the better rental bats available at the deadline.
Some have concerns that T-Mobile Park is not the best fit for Hernandez as a hitter as well, so he could be more valueable to another team than he is to the Mariners.
If the Mariners are going to be sellers at all, Hernandez is by far the best trade pieces they have.
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