The Seattle Mariners have a lot of work to do at the MLB trade deadline. Their once large lead over the AL West has diminished to a mere one game. The Houston Astros have actually caught up to Seattle in the loss column and have a better run differential (+49) than the Mariners do (+19).
A slumping offense and a surging Houston ballclub have made Seattle a prime candidate to buy at the deadline. A trade for a target like Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm, or JD Martinez would really help the Mariners with their playoff push.
Back to first base for Cody Bellinger
The Mariners desperately have to bring in help for their offense. Their pitching has had to do much of the heavy lifting for them this season. They rank third in the majors in team ERA (3.46), first in WHIP (1.08) opponent's batting average (.218), and quality starts (58), and third in shutouts (10). Players like George Kirby, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, and Bryce Miller have more than done their part.
But Seattle's offense has really lagged behind. They've been the polar opposite of their pitching staff through the first half of the 2024 season. The Mariners rank last in the entire MLB in batting average at .219. Even the 27-win Chicago White Sox have a better average than them (.220).
Seattle is also 25th in on-base percentage (.300) and 28th in slugging (.367) and OPS (.667). They are tied for tenth in home runs on the year (109) but also have the fewest number of hits in the majors (701). They are very much an all-or-nothing offense.
Someone who can help with that is Cody Bellinger of the Chicago Cubs. Bellinger's numbers have tumbled a bit from last year's bounce-back campaign, but he's still producing. He has posted slashing lines of .269/.331/.410/.742, which currently would rank first among all Mariners bats except for his slugging percentage. Only Cal Raleigh's (.435) mark there exceeds any of Bellinger's averages to date.
One hiccup could be that Bellinger plays center field for Chicago, the same position that Julio Rodriguez holds down for Seattle. The Mariners could work around that though by sliding Bellinger back at first base. If Seattle wants to go after a bat at the deadline, Bellinger is one way to go.
Return to second base for Jazz Chisholm
Another player the Mariners could target in a trade is Jazz Chisholm of the Miami Marlins. In fact, the word could be turned into will. Seattle is reportedly the favorite to land Chisholm according to Bob Nightengale of USA.
Seattle would run into the same lineup predicament with Chisholm as they would with Bellinger but again would have a pivot if they were to trade for him. Chisholm patrols center field for Miami but he can also play second base if needed.
He'd be a massive upgrade over what the Mariners are deploying at that position at the moment. Jorge Polanco leads the team in at-bats at second base with 213 but has slashing lines of .197/.285/.282/.566. Ryan Bliss also has made some appearances for Seattle there this year but his numbers aren't much better.
Chisholm would be a godsend for Seattle. If Nightengale's reporting is true, the Mariners should do what it takes to get those trade talks over the finish line.
The solid veteran JD Martinez
Another great option for Seattle would be the elder statesman JD Martinez. Martinez may be 36 years old, but he's still getting the job done. He's posted a slashing line of .263/.349/.457/.806 through the first half of the season to go with 10 home runs and 38 RBIs.
Those aren't outstanding numbers but they would be a notable boost over what Seattle is getting out of their DH spot at the moment. Mitch Garver has been the Mariners' primary designated hitter but has slashing lines of .174/.289/.356/.645. He has hit 12 home runs and 37 RBIs, but he very much symbolizes their all-or-nothing approach.
Martinez would provide some much-needed consistency for Seattle. On top of that, his age likely means they wouldn't have to pay a premium to get him. Martinez makes a lot of sense for the Mariners as a player to target in a trade.
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