The Seattle Mariners have endured a topsy-turvy 2024 season, thanks in large part to the team's struggles on the offensive side of the ball. But their transcendent pitching has them fighting tooth and nail with the likes of the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers for the AL West division crown. Sensing that the division could be theirs for the taking, the Mariners pulled off a blockbuster trade on Thursday night, acquiring slugger Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Now, one man cannot transform an offense that ranks 28th in the MLB in both runs scored and OPS. Simply put, it is too big of a responsibility for Arozarena to transform Seattle's putrid hitting all by his lonesome, Thus, the Mariners may not be done making moves quite yet.
In fact, the Mariners are setting their sights towards acquiring one more bat to aid their ailing offense, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Moreover, teams with contending aspirations can never have enough quality bullpen arms, so Seattle is also reportedly looking towards trading for a reliever who can soak up high-leverage innings.
With only a few days before the 2024 MLB trade deadline passes, expect the Mariners to remain one of the most aggressive buyers on the trade market despite already making a blockbuster move.
Dissecting the Mariners' trade options
Every contending team will look at the Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox and see them as potential trade partners. The Marlins, in particular, have Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Tanner Scott as attractive trade candidates, the two of whom could fill the Mariners' need for another bat and a high-leverage arm.
Meanwhile, the White Sox have Luis Robert and Garrett Crochet attracting a ton of interest; while Crochet is a quality starting pitcher, any team trading for him may have to bring him off the bullpen to limit his innings after shouldering a heavy workload throughout 2024.
The Mariners could also return to the Rays and ask them what it would take to acquire either Pete Fairbanks or Jason Adam. The Randy Arozarena trade showed that Tampa Bay, despite being an above .500 team, are open for business, which should make their veteran relievers available for the taking.
Seattle could use a quality hitter at every position, which should make them open to a lot of possibilities as the trade deadline approaches. The Mariners have been linked with the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Lamonte Wade and Isaac Paredes as well, all of whom have considerable power and would address positions of need for Seattle. Justin Turner could also be an option, but he isn't as flashy and won't have as much long-term value as other targets.
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