Logan Gilbert’s name is already out there, and if the Mariners decide they can’t lock him up before next season, the return may not be the usual prospect package.
According to MLB Network insider Jon Morosi, Seattle could be looking at a different kind of swap if it ever puts the 2024 All-Star on the market. Morosi said on social media Sunday that players with one year of club control left - including Gilbert, Cleveland’s Steven Kwan, Minnesota’s Joe Ryan and Miami’s Sandy Alcantara - are “unlikely to be moved for prospects this month, because teams aren’t sure what kind of 2027 season to expect” with a lockout looming, and that “sources say pending free agents could be moved for each other as a way to balance the risk.”
Morosi added later in the day that team officials have told him talks are already further along than they usually are in November. He said the GM meetings, which are normally more about early-stage conversations, could actually produce a deal or two this week. The meetings start Monday in Las Vegas and run through Thursday.
That fits with the broader expectation around the league that the labor stoppage scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Dec. 1 could push teams toward more trades and signings than they normally make in November.
For Seattle, Gilbert is the obvious headliner in any discussion. He’s under club control through 2027 and, per MLB Trade Rumors projections, is expected to make $15.4 million that year, the highest projection among arbitration-eligible players.
The 29-year-old has built the kind of track record that makes him one of the most valuable arms in the game: 178 starts over six seasons since his 2021 debut, a 59-47 record, 3.60 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 1,021 1/3 innings. In 2024, he led MLB in innings pitched at 208 2/3 and posted a 0.89 WHIP, and since the start of his first full season in 2022, his 902 innings are fourth-most in baseball.
A trade for another pitcher feels like a long shot. A bat, though, is a different story. In a recent ESPN article, Buster Olney wrote: “The trade market really won’t gain clarity until after the next (collective bargaining agreement) is settled, except in a few isolated cases; I’ve heard Seattle is poking around to assess how its surplus in pitching might be used to add a bat.”
That’s where Kwan comes into the picture. The left fielder would check a lot of boxes for the Mariners, especially in the corner outfield and at the top of the order.
The 29-year-old Oregon State product is a four-time Gold Glove winner and two-time All-Star, and in 734 games over five seasons he owns a .282/.357/.382 line with 39 homers, 127 doubles, 21 triples and 83 stolen bases. Since debuting in 2023, his 92.1% contact rate ranks second among qualified hitters, his 9.5% strikeout rate is third-lowest, and his 23.6% outside-the-zone swing rate is 16th-lowest in that span.
Another name to keep in mind is Houston shortstop Jeremy Peña, even if a deal with a division rival would be a tough sell. Peña is heading into his final year of club control and could give Seattle another right-handed bat near the top of the lineup.
He would also buy more development time for prized young shortstop Colt Emerson after Emerson’s rough rookie season in 2026 was cut short by a wrist injury. On Houston’s side, the Astros would be looking at a frontline starter, which is exactly the kind of arm Gilbert represents.
And there’s another layer here: a recent article in The Athletic said new Mariners manager Jason Kanzler worked closely with Peña during his rookie season in 2022.
In Other News...
Mariners Are Betting On One Leadership Shift To Reset The Clubhouse
Jason Kanzler was introduced as the new manager of the Seattle Mariners, and the message around his arrival was as much about tone as it was about tactics. In his first public turn in the job, Kanzler stressed clarity and accountability inside the clubhouse, laying out a leadership style built around direct communication and a more defined relationship between manager and player. Mariners president Jerry Dipoto backed that vision, framing the hire as one meant to reset the way the team operates day to day.
For a club trying to steady itself, the appeal is obvious: a manager who can simplify expectations and make the standards unmistakable. Kanzlers introduction suggested the Mariners want more than a fresh voice in the dugout, they want a different kind of order in the room, one where players know exactly what is expected of them and where the lines of communication are supposed to run. The details of how that plays out will come later, but the organizational intent was clear from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Dipoto Faces Pressure As Mariners Offseason Plan Comes Into Focus
Jerry Dipotos offseason checklist is already coming into focus after Seattle hired Jason Kanzler as its new manager, and the priorities sound familiar in some ways while still leaving plenty of work to do. The Mariners want to shore up the bullpen, find another bat or two, and add a veteran presence in the infield, all while trying to build a roster that can better support the shape of the club heading into next season.
The interesting wrinkle is how Dipoto is approaching the market. He said this winters reliever class looks more attractive than the crop of available position players, but Seattle still appears inclined to pursue trades rather than lean too heavily on free agency. That puts the front office in the familiar spot of weighing cost, fit and timing, with bullpen targets and trade possibilities now sitting near the center of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Prospect Faces New Doubt After Tough AFL Showcase
Adam Smiths Arizona Fall League run has been a useful measuring stick for the Mariners right-handed pitching prospect, but the latest stage did not help his case. Working the eighth inning in the AFL All-Star Game, Smith was part of a rough night for the American League as the National League pulled away, and his overall line in the showcase has only added to the mixed read on where he stands in the organization.
Smith has now made seven AFL appearances, and the numbers have been uneven enough to keep the conversation open around his role in Seattles future. After spending time at High-A and Double-A, he remains the kind of arm the Mariners can dream on, but the path forward is not simple with the bullpen picture already crowded and his next step tied to how he finishes and what the club needs when the time comes. [Read more 🡒]