The Seattle Mariners have to know more bold moves are required.
Re-signing fan favorite first baseman Josh Naylor is all well and good, but that only recreated part of the lineup that fell one win short of a World Series berth in October. There are still gaping holes at second and third base, and the Mariners should only feel comfortable allowing one at most to be filled by top prospects.
Trading for a three-time All-Star second baseman would certainly classify as a bold move, and the Mariners might just have the ideal opportunity this winter to pull that off.
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
Can Mariners land Marte from Arizona?
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Alden González named the Mariners as his ideal trade partner for Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, who is widely rumored to be available despite just finishing the first season of his six-year, $116.5 million contract.
“Coming off a gut-wrenching loss in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, it’s the perfect move to push the M’s toward the first World Series berth in franchise history,” wrote González.
In the last three seasons, Marte has put up 16.0 wins above replacement, an .887 OPS/141 OPS+, 440 hits, and 89 home runs. Plus, he was unstoppable in the 2023 playoffs, setting a new major league record with a 20-game postseason hitting streak.
González doesn’t quite flesh out the package the Mariners would need to give up, and as much as losing Marte would hurt Arizona, that team’s greatest need by far is starting pitching. Obviously, Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert are off the table, but would the Mariners consider giving up Bryce Miller to facilitate a Marte trade?
These are the tough conversations that must take place in December so the Mariners can finally lift the World Series trophy in October one of these years.
More MLB: Mariners Could Surprisingly Trade For Padres’ $60M Two-Time All-Star