The Seattle Mariners are heavily involved in a tight American League Wild Card race, tied for the second spot with the Boston Red Sox.
The Mariners opened the second half by taking two of three from the Houston Astros, who hold a four-game lead over Seattle for first place in the AL West.
At 53-46, the Mariners have been carried by the historic heroics of catcher Cal Raleigh. Raleigh is on pace to have the greatest offensive season by a catcher in history, but adding another quality bat will protect Raleigh and deepen the lineup.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic released an article about where all 30 teams stand with 10 days remaining before the trade deadline.
Bowden believes Seattle appears to be just one impact bat away from being World Series contenders.
“The Mariners have their best chance of making the World Series since 2022, the last time they won 90 games,” wrote Bowden. “As far as major needs, they appear to be just one impact bat away, and the Diamondbacks’ Josh Naylor would be the perfect fit.
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“In addition, Seattle is surveying the market to possibly add starting and relief pitching depth. They also could look to improve the outfield and are among the possible landing spots for Jarren Duran of the Red Sox or Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox.”
Naylor would be a huge addition to this lineup. The 28-year-old has 11 home runs and 58 RBI while slashing .292/.361/.452 in 90 games in his first season with Arizona.
As far as pitching goes, their starting rotation is getting healthier, and the bullpen is one of the top units in the sport. But, adding more pitching is never a bad idea.
Duran would be another huge addition, but there are other teams who will likely out-bid the Mariners for his services.
Robert has had a rough last two seasons, but a change of scenery to a playoff-bound team may allow him to rekindle superstardom.
Expect the Mariners to be active at the trade deadline, but it remains to be seen just how aggressive they will be.
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