Seattle Mariners Trade Rumors: Don’t Expect a Big Deal

The Seattle Mariners could pull off a big trade at the deadline, and perhaps the player (or players) that they acquire will propel them into the playoffs. Then again, there might be a whole lot of nothing.

There are plenty of rumors floating around, and they can be a lot of fun to cover. We can speculate, analyze and wonder what is happening behind closed doors.

Of course, we can also analyze the situation and draw our own conclusions. In this case, the reality may be that a big deal is not coming.

Think about the rumors that we have heard thus far. Acquiring David Price is still the biggest rumor out there. However, the Tampa Bay Rays are playing some good ball and the club still has Price for another year. There may be value in dangling a pitcher with another year on their deal, but that also means that the Rays do not have to give him away.

Many of the other rumors out there are somewhat interesting, but hardly overwhelming in terms of exciting possibilities. Josh Willingham, Matt Kemp, Marlon Byrd and apparently now Chris Denorfia (why?) could help the club. However, none of these players are necessarily difference-makers, which might cause the Mariners to decide that they aren’t worth the prospects that it would take to acquire them.

Unfortunately, the Mariners have a number of players that are simply sub-par at the plate right now. There are several positions that could be upgraded, but sadly the Mariners are probably not in the position to make wholesale changes.

Can the M’s dump Justin Smoak, Corey Hart, Brad Miller, Stefen Romero and Logan Morrison all at the same time? Probably not.

Despite these shortcomings, the names on the market do not represent noticeable upgrades without giving away prospects or taking on bad contracts. Therefore, in the end, the Mariners may just decide to stand pat and hope that the offense rebounds in August.

Hope. Such a good word. Welcome to life as a Mariners fan.