The Mariners have spent years building one of baseball’s deepest rotations, and that strength may now be the thing that helps them fix their biggest problem. If Seattle wants to land the kind of impact bat its lineup has been missing, Bryan Woo is the starter who fits the trade puzzle best.
Logan Gilbert is the first name to cross off. He has just one year left before free agency, and the Mariners have been clear about wanting to keep him in Seattle long term. Even with recent reports making a contract extension feel less likely, moving an established top-of-the-rotation arm would create another hole the club does not need while trying to upgrade the offense.
George Kirby and Bryce Miller are trickier cases. Both have long been viewed as tradeable pieces, but neither has had a normal season.
Kirby came back from a shoulder injury in 2025 and posted a career-best 26.1% strikeout rate, only to see that number fall to 19.9% in 2026. His walk rate stayed at 5.6% in both seasons, but the overall production has dipped this year.
Miller’s year started like a rebound and turned into something far uglier once August hit. He took the ball for both the 22-0 shutout against Milwaukee and the 19-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs, and his issues have been tied largely to inconsistency with his command.
That leaves Woo and Emerson Hancock. Woo is the cleaner fit if Seattle decides to make a major move.
He has not been flawless in 2026, but the underlying numbers still point to a pitcher worth believing in. His road results have not been great, yet his work at home has helped balance things out.
More importantly, Woo’s 2025 breakout changed his profile. He made his first All-Star team and finished fifth in American League Cy Young voting, establishing himself as one of the most impressive young arms in the Seattle rotation.
His contract only adds to the appeal. Woo is under club control through 2029, which means any team trading for him would be getting a young starter with years of value still ahead. That is exactly the sort of piece another club would have to pay up for if Seattle wanted to chase an impact bat.
Hancock offers the Mariners a different kind of flexibility because of his pre-arbitration status, and the presence of Gilbert, Kirby, Kade Anderson, and Miller gives Seattle enough rotation depth to at least consider dealing Woo. But that does not mean the move is automatic. The Mariners have historically been hesitant to part with pitchers like him, and Woo may simply be more valuable on the mound than he would be as a trade chip.
If Seattle does decide to shop him, there are obvious names that would change the conversation. Gunnar Henderson would fit that bill immediately if Baltimore ever made him available.
Elly De La Cruz also belongs in the discussion because of the power, speed, and youth he brings. C.J.
Abrams is another possibility, especially with the Washington Nationals needing arms that fit their young core.
Woo gives the Mariners a real choice this offseason: keep a talented, controlled starter in the rotation, or use him to bring back the bat the lineup has been lacking. That’s the kind of decision Seattle has to make now.
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