The Mariners are running out of time before the August 3 trade deadline, but that doesn’t mean they should rush into the wrong move. Seattle needs right-handed bats and reliable relievers, sure. It just doesn’t need to get careless chasing names that look better on paper than they do right now.
That’s the trap with this market: some targets are heating up, like Taylor Ward, who shook off a rough May and June to post an .838 OPS in July. Mason Miller is another obvious draw, having been hotter than any reliever in MLB for almost a year now.
But the other side of the ledger matters just as much. If the Mariners are going to shop, they need to know which players have gone cold at exactly the wrong time.
Casey Schmitt is one of the more interesting names on the board, and the fit is easy to imagine. The Giants infielder/outfielder could slot into a Mariners trade concept, especially if Seattle is willing to deal Emerson Hancock.
Even so, Schmitt comes with real warning signs. He’s been swinging and missing plenty, drawing few walks, and his last 38 games have produced a .243/.270/.375 line with 31 strikeouts and only four walks.
The one number that still jumps out is his .323 average against lefties. If San Francisco asks for more than Hancock, that’s where the line should be drawn.
Willi Castro has been on Seattle’s radar for a while, and not long ago he looked like a clever deadline fit. That case has weakened.
The switch-hitter has hit just .196 this month with 21 strikeouts and three walks, and his road split now sits at a .640 OPS compared to .798 at home. He still brings versatility as a player who can cover the infield and outfield, but compared with other options, he belongs much closer to the back of the line.
Jorge Soler is another name that should make the Mariners pause. There’s buzz that the Angels could be open to anything at the deadline, which at least makes an AL West deal possible.
But Soler hasn’t done much to inspire confidence. He owns a .599 OPS against lefties and has been flat-out bad in July, hitting just .472 with no home runs in 14 games.
The memory of Atlanta landing him as an undervalued deadline piece in 2021 still lingers, but that was five years ago, and he hasn’t been a productive everyday hitter since 2024.
The caution extends to the bullpen, too. Riley O’Brien would make for a neat story if the Mariners brought him back.
He’s a local product, he pitched for Seattle in 2022, and this year he even made the All-Star Game. But the recent work is hard to ignore.
Over his last 20 appearances, he’s thrown 19.2 innings and given up 11 earned runs, 16 hits, 15 walks and six hit-by-pitches. Even the All-Star Game fastball that had everyone worried about Junior Caminero fits the larger picture: the velocity is there, and he can get ground balls, but the rest of the shutdown-reliever profile is missing.
Antonio Senzatela has followed a similar path. He was a fun early-season story after opening with an ERA around 1.00 through 15 appearances, a sharp turnaround from the 6.65 ERA he posted as a starter last season.
Since then, though, he’s been hit hard. In his last 16 appearances, he has an 8.00 ERA and has allowed 29 hits in just 18.0 innings.
Yes, he has a 2.39 ERA away from Coors Field, but the deeper numbers still point to the same issue: fastball velocity is the main thing that stands out. Seattle can do better.
Pete Fairbanks is the most striking example of why raw stuff alone doesn’t solve everything. The Marlins right-hander has elite velocity, averaging 97.3 mph, and his strikeout rate ranks among the top 10 percent of all pitchers.
Yet the results have been ugly. He owns a 7.42 ERA this season, and over his last 15 appearances that number has ballooned to 8.36, with five home runs and seven walks allowed.
Good stuff only goes so far if the strikes aren’t there and the ball keeps finding barrels.
In Other News...
Julio Opens Up On Health Scare As Mariners Face Surprise Change
Julio Rodrguez was back in center field and back in the middle of the Mariners daily routine at Globe Life Field, even finding time to hand out new batting practice shirts featuring Jimothy, the viral Seattle-area raccoon. It was a lighter moment for a club that has spent much of this stretch trying to keep pace in a tight American League West race, with Rodrguez continuing to contribute after returning from the concussion injured list.
The bigger news around him, though, was the surprise change on the coaching staff. Seattle relieved assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes of his duties during Thursdays off-day, a move Rodrguez said caught him off guard, and he made clear how much he valued Magallanes as both a coach and a friend. For a lineup trying to stay steady in a close pennant chase, it was another reminder that the Mariners are balancing on-field urgency with some unexpected turnover behind the scenes. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Just Slammed The Door On A Mason Miller Dream
The Mariners search for bullpen help has run into a familiar problem: the kind of arm they want is exactly the kind of arm other clubs do not give away cheaply. Padres closer Mason Miller fits the bill as a high-end late-inning option, and his club control through 2029 only adds to the appeal, but Seattles path to even getting in the conversation looks narrow with so much of its pitching core effectively off the table.
What makes the fit tricky is that a deal for Miller would almost certainly have to be built around significant talent, and the Mariners do not appear eager to part with the young starters that anchor their future. They may be more willing to discuss Luis Castillo or Emerson Hancock, but even that may not be enough to bridge the gap, leaving Seattle to weigh whether the price of chasing a premium closer is simply too steep for a club trying to stay balanced for now. [Read more 🡒]
Former Mariners Prospect Is Becoming A Painful Reminder In Arizona
Tyler Locklear is starting to look like the kind of bat the Mariners could use right now, which is exactly why his early run in Arizona lands with a little extra sting in Seattle. Traded to the Diamondbacks in July 2025, the former Mariners prospect spent the start of the 2026 season on the injured list before getting himself back on track in Triple-A Reno and earning a promotion.
Since arriving in the majors, Locklear has looked ready for the moment, and Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has noticed the way he has handled the transition. After a recent game in which Locklear delivered three hits and drove in three runs, Arizona has every reason to keep leaning on him, while Mariners fans are left to wonder what might have been if that right-handed power had stayed in the organization. [Read more 🡒]