The Mariners don’t have to land Gunnar Henderson to justify making the call. They do, though, have to find out what Baltimore would actually need to move him.
That’s the real takeaway from The Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka, who reported that the Orioles are willing to listen on every player except Pete Alonso as they look for rotation and outfield help. Henderson is not being actively shopped, and a deal is considered unlikely. But the line is open, and that alone is enough to put Seattle on alert.
If the Orioles are open to hearing offers, the Mariners should be ready with one. Not a casual check-in. A real one.
Henderson’s 2026 season gives the conversation some friction. He hit .225/.309/.403 with 24 home runs, a step back from his 37-homer, .893 OPS breakout in 2024. He also comes with two seasons of team control left, which makes him more than a rental and gives any acquiring team a defined window to cash in on the upside.
And that upside is the whole point. A productive Henderson would give Seattle a left-handed bat with real impact and another dangerous presence in the infield. That kind of addition would force some defensive sorting out, but that’s the sort of problem a team can live with when the bat is this good.
The harder part is figuring out what it would cost.
Logan Gilbert is the cleanest place to start. With free agency looming after 2027, the idea of turning his final season of control into two years of Henderson is at least worth discussing. Baltimore would get rotation help, and Seattle would be betting on a lineup upgrade with a clear runway to make it matter.
George Kirby could also come into the conversation, and it’s easy to see why Baltimore would push in that direction. His extra years of control make him a more attractive target, which means Seattle would have to decide how much Henderson’s offense is worth against Kirby’s value and the innings he would leave behind.
Bryan Woo, though, is where the line gets drawn. That’s a hard no. The Mariners can chase a major offensive upgrade without putting every pitcher on the table.
Emerson Hancock would create a different kind of deal. If he’s the primary major league piece, Baltimore would likely want a massive prospect haul on top of him. Seattle can’t assume it gets to keep its preferred starters and avoid the pain elsewhere in the package.
None of that means the Orioles have set those prices. There’s no report of specific demands. But if the Mariners are serious about Henderson, they need to be prepared for Baltimore to ask for something they’ll feel.
The prospect side matters just as much. Felnin Celesten should be part of a serious discussion, and if he’s included, that has to change the rest of the ask.
Seattle also needs a firm ceiling on the total cost. If Gilbert or Kirby is in the deal, the extra talent coming back from the farm should come down.
If Hancock is the centerpiece, the prospect burden should go up.
That’s the balance the Mariners have to strike: know what Henderson is worth to them, know how far they’re willing to go, and be ready to walk if the price gets out of hand. If Baltimore wants more than two years of Henderson can justify, then Seattle should be able to say it gave the idea a real hearing and move on.
There are other Orioles names worth keeping on the radar, too. Kostka pointed to an infield surplus that includes Jordan Westburg and Coby Mayo. Either could become a path worth exploring if Henderson doesn’t go anywhere, though both would bring their own questions about role, health and cost.
Still, the Mariners shouldn’t rush to the fallback options just because the Henderson route could get messy. This offseason calls for ambition. Seattle should be willing to chase players who can change the lineup, even if the talks get uncomfortable and the names involved are the ones it would rather keep.
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