The Seattle Mariners have officially jumped into the trade deadline season! And they are not just dipping a toe in this. On Thursday, the club made headlines by landing the former All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks. It just signaled that this summer won’t be the usual business for them. Not this time!
In return, the Mariners gave up two ranked prospects—Brandyn Garcia, the lefty, and Ashton Izzi, the righty. While they are both talented, they were deemed expendable because of the farm system their club has. And of course, their desire to win now. Naylor is earning around $11 million this year and brings that veteran experience and lefty pop to the Mariners’ lineup. And it can be game-changing.
But here is the real kicker—this may only be the start.
“This is one of our favorite times of the year.”
After acquiring slugging 1B Josh Naylor, the #Mariners are full steam ahead at making more power moves as the Trade Deadline quickly approaches:#TridentsUp
https://t.co/iXax8hx4iO pic.twitter.com/Tb2WRYj3su
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) July 27, 2025
Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto made it clear that the club is not done. Speaking to MLB Network Radio, Dipoto mentioned, “Yeah, this is one of our favorite times of the year, when we put ourselves in a good position. We have always been given the ability to go out and do the fun thing at the deadline…. Randy Arozarena, and obviously Josh, so far, and we are dialed in on the bullpen. We will be as aggressive in the bullpen area in the market as anybody.”
The bold statement does align with what everyone has heard or seen elsewhere. Despite having a lethal duo in Andres Munoz and Matt Brash, who both combined for an ERA of 1.19, the rest of the crew lagged. Seattle’s bullpen ERA now ranks 12th in MLB, but the numbers, like the 4.06 FIP, hint at a shaky ground reality, too. Therefore, it’s understandable why Dipoto views this as an area for improvement.
So, who is on the radar? Dipoto didn’t reveal names, but there are several possibilities the Seattle Mariners could consider. From Ryan Helsley from the Cardinals, Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax, Twins relievers, and David Bednar from the Pirates. Now it depends on whether Seattle ends up going for a rental or a piece, but the mission is to build a bulletproof bullpen. So don’t be surprised by another big trade move coming from them.
Yankees grabbed McMahon—now what’s Seattle Mariners’ move?
Now, the Seattle Mariners watched one of their top targets for third base disappear from the trade market. The Yankees grabbed third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies. They gave up pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz to make the deal happen. Sure, that move helped the Yankees, given that third base has been a curious case for them, but this means it also took the Mariners to get moving into the next plan—Eugenio Suarez.
Now, after clenching Josh Naylor, multiple reports are coming that the Seattle Mariners view Suarez as a top priority before the deadline. The issue is that they are not the only ones circling him. The Chicago Cubs, the Astros, and even the Reds and the Phillies, who just lost Alex Bohm to a rib injury, have been linked to Suarez. Thankfully, though, given the Yankees are out of the mix, the situation is better. Plus, the Mariners are all in, and they have a farm system of top 100 prospects and some big-league-ready talent, too. And it won’t be farfetched to think they can put together one of the most appealing packages for Arizona. But if they whiff on Suarez, then the safety net will look thin.
The Seattle Mariners have also been tied to Angels’ third baseman Yoan Moncada. Although his recent struggles and injury history do not scream deadline splash. Now the trade buzzer is less than a week away, and the window to scan through to get a third base player is narrowing. And they need to lock down fast.
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