The Seattle Mariners may have just made their deadline intentions a lot easier to read.
After Tuesday night’s 7-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium - a game that featured five Mariners home runs and two huge blasts from Dominic Canzone - Seattle moved to 53-55 and kept itself right in the middle of the American League race. At the 108-game mark, the Mariners are 2.5 games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West and 1.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians for the third American League wild card spot.
That path, though, is not exactly clean. The Minnesota Twins are 0.5 games ahead of Seattle in that chase, and the Houston Astros are one game ahead of the Mariners as well, which means there isn’t a simple straight line to that final wild card position.
Still, ESPN MLB Insider Alden Gonzalez says the Mariners are going to buy at the deadline regardless of what happens over the next five games before Aug. 3.
That makes sense given how crowded and unpredictable the American League has become. Seattle also has some possible help on the way, with Brendan Donovan’s return on the horizon and the hopeful August returns of Carlos Vargas and Matt Brash.
The bigger question is how aggressive the Mariners should be. Rental additions can make sense if the price stays reasonable, but there’s a strong argument for targeting players who come with control beyond 2026, since that would help both this season’s push and next year’s club.
Seattle is expected to be in the market for a right-handed bat and a reliever, though right-handed bats are in short supply. The Mariners were connected to Casey Schmitt and Spencer Steer, but both were recently injured and will miss too much time for Seattle to seriously consider them.
There’s also been discussion about bringing up top prospect Michael Arroyo, who keeps hitting everywhere he goes. And in a more surprising twist, the Mariners could explore moving starting pitcher Luis Castillo or Emerson Hancock in order to add offense.
Hancock is set to start Wednesday night against the Dodgers anyway, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT. He’ll be opposed by left-hander Eric Lauer.
In Other News...
Mariners Linked To A Deadline Move That Could Cost Plenty
The Mariners are already being mentioned in the early chatter around the 2026 trade deadline, and the logic is easy enough to follow. Seattle has not hidden its appetite for impact talent, and when ESPNs Jeff Passan starts connecting a contender to one of the games most dominant late-inning arms, it tends to get attention fast. San Diego reliever Mason Miller has been lights-out this season, and he is not just a short-term fix, which only adds to the intrigue for a Seattle club that could have the kind of trade pieces other teams covet.
The catch is that this is the sort of move that can reshape a roster, not just patch one. Miller is controlled well beyond this season, so any conversation would have to start with a serious package, and there is no guarantee the Padres would even entertain it. For the Mariners, the appeal is obvious: a proven closer with elite stuff and years of team control. The question is whether San Diego would ever be willing to make that kind of player available in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Just Made A Curious Rotation Change Before Dodgers Series
The Mariners made a small but notable tweak to their pitching plan ahead of a tough stretch, moving Bryan Woo up to start Thursday at Dodger Stadium while Bryce Miller was pushed back to Fridays home game against Minnesota. Manager Dan Wilson said the switch was designed to give Miller an extra day of rest, a practical adjustment with the schedule tightening and the club trying to keep its rotation lined up as best it can.
For Seattle, the timing makes the move worth watching because Woos profile has been so different depending on the setting, and Dodger Stadium is hardly the easiest place to ask for a clean outing. The lineup also got a bit healthier around the edges, with Colt Emerson back after missing the opener because of back spasms, while infielder Leo Rivas joined the taxi squad as a precaution. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Just Changed What Mariners Can Demand From The Angels
The Angels trade of Logan OHoppe and Chase Silseth to Texas for infielder Angel Arredondo gave the rest of the division a useful read on how far Los Angeles is willing to go to move pieces, and how modest the return can be when the market is thin. Arredondo, according to MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, is not considered one of the Rangers or Angels better-regarded prospects, which matters for a Mariners club watching the same roster and the same trade lane with interest.
Seattles place in the standings keeps the pressure on to keep looking for upgrades, and this kind of deal can reshape what the Angels can reasonably ask for if the Mariners come calling. The list of names that could be in play is broad, from established big leaguers to younger talent and package pieces, and the Rangers move suggests the price tag may not be as steep as it looked a day ago. [Read more 🡒]