If the Seattle Mariners are serious about digging out of the wreckage of a 2026 season, the temptation to swing big at shortstop is getting harder to ignore. Adam Jude of The Seattle Times already floated that kind of move as the club’s top offseason play, and the names he threw out were no small potatoes: Elly De La Cruz, Gunnar Henderson, Otto Lopez, Jeremy Peña and Zach Neto.
That list alone tells you how far this idea can go. If Seattle’s trade capital makes even De La Cruz or Neto feel at least imaginable, then the Mariners can afford to ask a more audacious question: who else belongs in the conversation, even if the odds are long?
Two more names fit that bill. Calling on either one would probably end with Jerry Dipoto getting brushed off, but there’s still something to be said for taking the shot.
Geraldo Perdomo is one of them.
Arizona locked him up in February of 2025 on a four-year deal worth $45 million, and that contract now looks like a steal. Perdomo has turned into one of baseball’s best all-around players, piling up 12.1 rWAR over the last two seasons, good for fourth among all position players.
The mix is what makes him so valuable: a shortstop who can really defend, with +11 DRS and +21 OAA, and still hurt you at the plate. Over the last two seasons, he’s posted a 124 OPS+, hit 29 home runs and stolen 48 bases.
His 2030 club option is only worth $15 million, which is why Baseball Trade Values pegs his surplus value at $132.1 million. That kind of number lands in “Kade Anderson/Ryan Sloan and more” territory, and that’s before you even get to whether Diamondbacks principal owner Ken Kendrick would be willing to entertain the idea. Mike Hazen might not even get a fair hearing.
Still, Arizona’s place in the NL West matters here. The Diamondbacks have been stuck chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres since their World Series run in 2023, and there’s at least a logic to converting one star into multiple pieces if the organization believes that’s the better path forward.
For Seattle, Perdomo checks a lot of boxes. His glove would be a major upgrade for a Mariners team that had MLB’s worst defense in 2026, and he’d also fit neatly in front of Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez. He’s one of those rare hitters who has finished with more walks than strikeouts in each of the last two seasons.
Then there’s the truly massive name: Bobby Witt Jr.
Yes, that Bobby Witt Jr.
The Red Sox reportedly at least discussed him before the trade deadline, though it’s not clear whether those conversations were with Kansas City or just internal. Either way, the name got out there, and once that happens, nobody can pretend the idea is off limits.
Witt’s resume speaks for itself. Over the last three seasons, he leads all MLB position players with 27.8 rWAR.
He’s paired that with a 138 OPS+ and 162-game averages of 27 home runs and 43 stolen bases. And somehow, he’s still only 26.
Kansas City handed him an 11-year deal in 2024 that could run all the way through 2037, but the contract has a wrinkle that matters here: Witt can opt out after his age-30 season in 2030. Right now, he looks like a player with every reason to use it. That leaves the Royals on a tighter clock than the length of the deal suggests.
That clock is part of the problem in Kansas City. The Royals dropped from 86 wins in 2024 to 93 losses in 2026, and that kind of slide puts the whole operation in danger of stalling out around Witt. The farm system behind him doesn’t offer much immediate help, which is why the idea of turning one superstar into multiple building blocks at least deserves a look.
For the Mariners, that kind of trade would be enormous. It would strip the farm bare, and that runs straight against Dipoto’s usual emphasis on sustainability.
But if there’s ever a moment to get aggressive, this is it. And if there’s ever a player worth emptying the cupboard for, it’s Witt.
In Other News...
Kyle Seager Is Getting A Mariners Tribute Fans Can Rally Behind
Kyle Seager is back in the spotlight in a way Mariners fans can probably get behind. The longtime third baseman has been nominated into the MLB Hall of Pretty Good, a tongue-in-cheek honor reserved for retired or inactive players who never won an MVP or Cy Young and fall short of Baseball Hall of Fame standards. Seager has already come through the fan nomination process, and the final vote for the 100th inductee is set for Wednesday afternoon.
For Seattle, the appeal is less about Cooperstown and more about recognition for one of the franchises steadier stars of the last decade. Seager has long been regarded as one of the best third basemen in team history, and his rsum stacks up well enough to keep his name in that conversation even if the Hall of Fame is not part of it. It is the kind of tribute that fits his career perfectly, a nod that feels both lighthearted and deserved while fans wait to see whether the process sends him in as the latest familiar face to get a small but genuine honor. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Face An Offseason Test They Cant Afford To Fail
The Mariners head into the offseason with a familiar challenge in front of them: the AL West is there to be attacked, but only if Seattle actually takes advantage of the opening. Houston has a general manager vacancy and has already interviewed former Nationals executive Mike Rizzo, a reminder that the division rival is sorting through its own uncertainty while the Mariners still search for meaningful ways to improve. So far, Seattle has not made many productive additions, and the pressure is on to use this winter to strengthen both the roster and the decision-making around it.
That makes the next few moves matter even more, especially with key pieces like Julio Rodrguez, Josh Naylor and Cal Raleigh all carrying their own offseason context into the winter. The Mariners do not just need depth for depths sake, they need strategic upgrades that help them compete across a division race that rarely leaves much margin for error. If they want to keep pace, the front office has to turn opportunity into actual help, and soon. [Read more 🡒]
Former Mariners Infielder Just Delivered Seattles Painful October Reminder
Ben Williamson gave Tampa Bay exactly the kind of postseason moment Seattle knows all too well, coming off the bench and lining a pinch-hit single in the 12th inning of Game 4 to help the Rays beat the Brewers 4-3 and stay alive. For Mariners fans, the name alone was enough to sting a little more than usual, because Williamson once belonged to Seattle before being moved in a three-team trade that reshaped the roster.
The reminder lands in October, where every small swing feels bigger for a franchise still chasing its first World Series appearance. Seattle had hoped the deal would help tilt its own future forward, with Brendan Donovan coming back in the swap, but Williamsons clutch hit instead put a former Mariner in the middle of a survival game while the Mariners remained on the outside looking in. [Read more 🡒]