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At the trade deadline, Eugenio Suárez rejoined the Seattle Mariners, bolstering one of MLB’s most powerful lineups. The Mariners sit just half a game behind the Astros in the AL West and hold strong wild-card odds, riding a seven-game win streak and a historic 10-game stretch of 53 runs, 20 homers, and 20 stolen bases.
Seattle’s offense now boasts elite power – Cal Raleigh (45 HR) and Suárez (37 HR) are among the league’s top home run hitters– and the team ranks fourth in MLB in homers and 11th in runs scored. However, this all-or-nothing attack comes with a downside: Seattle is also top-five in strikeouts, and when they aren’t hitting balls over the fence, the offense can stall.
With a postseason berth within reach, Seattle must capitalize on its deadline upgrades and make two key moves now – one to diversify the offense and one to fortify the pitching – to sustain their momentum into October.
Activate Victor Robles to ignite the offense
One of the most impactful “additions” Seattle can make in August is simply getting Victor Robles back from the injured list. Robles, who dislocated his shoulder making a spectacular catch in early April, is ahead of schedule in rehab and could rejoin the team before the end of August. That return would give the Mariners something they lack: a high-contact, high-speed table-setter.
Before his injury, Robles had emerged as Seattle’s leadoff spark plug – over a 77-game stretch after signing last year, he slashed a stellar .328/.393/.467. In other words, Robles was getting on base nearly 40% of the time and providing premium defense in center field. If he can even approach that form, it will balance Seattle’s boom-or-bust lineup with more on-base ability and speed.
The Mariners are fourth in homers and third in steals, yet also fifth in strikeouts, a profile prone to cold spells if the power bats regress. Robles’ contact approach and base-running aggressiveness can help sustain rallies without relying on the long ball. His return would also allow a tactical lineup shuffle: manager Dan Wilson could restore Robles to the leadoff spot, moving All-Star slugger Randy Arozarena (23 HR, 22 SB) into an RBI role.
That gives Seattle a more traditional offensive flow – Robles setting the table for the likes of Arozarena, Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor – reducing the pressure on those middle-order hitters to always homer their way out of trouble. As a bonus, Robles’ Gold Glove-caliber range would strengthen the outfield defense for the stretch run. In short, activating Robles injects much-needed contact, speed, and spark atop the lineup, addressing Seattle’s biggest offensive concern post-deadline.
Reinforce the rotation with Bryce Miller’s return
The Mariners’ pitching staff has quietly been one of the AL’s best, but adding a healthy Bryce Miller could elevate it to another level. Miller, a talented 26-year-old right-hander, has been limited to 10 starts this season due to elbow inflammation, but he is now on a rehab assignment and “cruised through” a four-inning outing last week. Barring setbacks, he’s scheduled for a couple more rehab starts before being activated in late August. Getting Miller back in the fold would be a game-changer for Seattle’s rotation depth.
Earlier in the year, injuries to Logan Gilbert and George Kirby forced Seattle to rely on inexperienced starters (Emerson Hancock, Logan Evans) who posted ERAs around 5.40. Even so, the Mariners’ top trio – Gilbert, Kirby, and ace Luis Castillo (3.19 ERA) – along with breakout All-Star Bryan Woo (3.08 ERA, 145 K) have kept the team’s ERA competitive. Miller’s return would likely push out the weakest link in the rotation and could allow Seattle to manage workloads with a six-man rotation down the stretch.
Crucially, a five-man unit of Gilbert, Castillo, Woo, Kirby, and Miller (who went 12–8 with a 2.94 ERA as a rookie when healthy last year) “rivals the best in the game,” as ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez noted. Miller brings a power fastball and swing-and-miss stuff that miss the bats those back-end fill-ins could not (he struck out over nine per nine innings in 2024). By fortifying the rotation with Miller, Seattle can reduce strain on its excellent bullpen and avoid “bullpen games” in September.
It also better positions the club for a potential postseason series – a deep rotation means quality starters (or a live-armed Miller in long relief) are available in every game. In essence, activating Miller gives Seattle a full-strength pitching staff, shoring up a rotation that has underperformed expectations and ensuring the M’s don’t fall short on the mound.
Mariners must go full throttle for a postseason push
It’s worth noting that Seattle’s front office has already done a commendable job addressing needs via trades – bringing back Suárez’s right-handed pop and Naylor’s lefty bat has supercharged the lineup, and acquiring lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson added bullpen depth. These two additional moves are the natural next steps. By injecting Robles’ dynamic skill set into the offense and bolstering the rotation with Miller’s arm, the Mariners can maximize their postseason chances.
They’ll diversify a power-heavy offense that oddsmakers now consider World Series-caliber, and solidify a pitching corps that already boasts a lights-out closer in Andrés Muñoz (1.37 ERA, All-Star). Seattle has not only closed the gap on Houston – as of mid-August, they trail by mere percentage points– but also positioned themselves to surge past the Astros down the stretch.
If the Mariners execute these two realistic moves, they will be leveraging all their available assets for the final push. In a wide-open American League, these adjustments could be the tipping point that ends Seattle’s postseason drought and turns them into a true contender come October.
