Kade Anderson’s arrival has forced the Mariners into a winter decision they can’t keep dodging. However Seattle chooses to line up its rotation in 2026 - whether that means a six-man setup or a more standard five-man group - the math is already pushing the club toward a trade.
The reason is simple: there aren’t enough innings to go around forever. The Mariners have already experimented with a six-man rotation, and they’ve also tried a five-man look with a dedicated piggyback pairing.
Each approach comes with a price. The piggyback idea can leave not one but two starters unhappy.
The six-man version spreads the workload thinner, leaving the bullpen to absorb the same amount of work with one fewer arm available.
So if Seattle decides it has to move a starter this offseason, who’s the most likely name to go?
For most of the Jerry Dipoto era, the Mariners have been reluctant to move homegrown starting pitching. Even when opportunities have popped up, Dipoto has stayed loyal to the club’s identity of building around the young arms it drafted.
But that stance was tested only a few weeks ago. Before the August 3 trade deadline, George Kirby and Emerson Hancock both surfaced in trade rumblings that went beyond the usual background noise.
Those weren’t vague “interest” reports. The buzz suggested Seattle was actually listening.
The idea then was that the Mariners would only part with a starter if the return brought back a bat. That logic would still apply if the club shifts from listening to shopping once the winter arrives. This offense, after all, can’t realistically head into 2027 acting like it already has enough.
Right now, the clearest name to watch is Kirby. He fits the trade market in a way that makes sense for Seattle: he’s still only 28, under team control through 2028, and has already made an All-Star team. At the same time, the Mariners may see him as a declining asset worth moving before the value slips any further.
Hancock is another possibility after a breakout season, and Miller is at least worth serious thought as well. Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert look less likely to be dealt, but neither should be treated as untouchable while they remain unsigned long term. Gilbert, in particular, stands out because he is scheduled for free agency after 2027.
And the funny part is that even if Seattle does finally trade one of its starters this winter, the rotation picture may fill back up quickly anyway. Ryan Sloan is next in line, and at times he has been viewed as the better prospect of the two. If he doesn’t show up in Seattle by the end of this year as a reliever, he could be pushing for a starting role early next year.
That’s a future problem, though. For now, the Mariners need to get through this season and then figure out how to trim the rotation to five arms.
In Other News...
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Mariners Finally Make A Prospect Move Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Mariners are bringing Kade Anderson into the big-league picture at a time when every move still feels tied to the postseason race. Seattle has spent much of the season trying to stay within reach in the wild-card hunt, and calling up a top pitching prospect who has carved up Double A is the sort of aggressive decision that signals the front office is still looking for help anywhere it can find it.
Anderson, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 draft, has backed up the hype with the kind of minor league production that made his promotion feel overdue. The next step is a significant one, though, because his first major-league start will come with the Mariners still below .500 and in a spot where every outing can tilt the mood around the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Are Finally Opening The Door For Kade Anderson
The Mariners are lining up Kade Anderson for his first big league start, setting him up to debut against the Cubs as the organization finally creates a path into the rotation. Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto had already signaled this was the plan, saying Anderson would get the call once a rotation spot opened and calling him the best starting pitcher in the minors.
To make room on the roster, the Mariners are moving Matt Brash to the 60-day injured list, a paperwork step that does not change Brashs return timeline. It is the kind of transaction that can get lost in the shuffle, but it also underscores how carefully Seattle has been managing the moment it wanted Anderson to arrive, and how much attention his debut will draw once he takes the mound. [Read more 🡒]