A slew of under-the-radar signings this week have MLB fans itching for more trades. With the Winter Meetings starting next week, those trades could be coming, with the Miami Marlins and Seattle Mariners among the teams to watch that may strike a deal or two.
Both the Marlins and Mariners are built on their pitching staffs, two that are deep and rich with young talent. Though teams can never have enough pitching, they need to score runs to win games. Neither of these teams did that very well in 2023, so they could use their pitching depth as leverage to land some key bats.
Marlins could give AND take
After reaching the playoffs for only the fourth time in franchise history in 2023, the Marlins likely don’t want to stay complacent during the offseason. There are obvious needs on offense and Miami has plenty to offer in terms of starting pitching.
According to Ken Rosenthal, teams are already calling Miami about its arms.
“Almost every offseason, teams come at the Marlins for their starting pitching. This offseason is no different, and the Marlins could trade a starter to address needs at shortstop and/or catcher,” Rosenthal said.
Former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara won't be moved as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, nor will rookie phenom Eury Perez. Rosenthal notes that Jesus Luzardo and Braxton Garrett are more than likely unavailable as well.
That leaves opposing teams searching for packages to acquire the likes of Edward Cabrera and Trevor Rogers, two promising arms who were limited by injury last season. The pair threw 117 2/3 combined innings for the Marlins in 2023, while Rogers did not pitch in the MLB after April 19 due to a left biceps strain.
Miami has a solid three starters they can rely on next season, but outside of that, there are some question marks in the rotation. If they do opt to trade an arm or two, they'll likely look to the open market to fill out their rotation for 2024.
Mariners in need of bats
The Mariners ended 2023 with the fourth-best starting pitcher ERA in the league. Unfortunately for Seattle that wasn’t enough to make a second consecutive postseason and the Mariners know what they have to do to become a consistent playoff team.
With the plethora of starting pitching they have, the Mariners can afford to swap some young hurlers to boost their offense. Seattle finished in the bottom-10 in team batting average last season and was not much better with runners in scoring position, ranking 22nd in OPS among the 30 MLB teams in that category.
Luis Castillo leads the way in the rotation and the Mariners have five different starters 26 or younger that they feel comfortable trotting out next season. That doesn’t include former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, who Seattle is optimistic will be back at some point next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May.
The Mariners fielded calls for several starting pitchers during last season's trade deadline but held firm, opting to deal multiple relievers instead. With glaring needs in the lineup, that likely will not be the case for Seattle again this offseason.
Names like Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo could be ones to watch.
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