Willson Contreras has taken the guesswork out of the deadline chatter.
The Red Sox slugger, who holds a no-trade clause, made it clear to Boston’s front office that he has little interest in leaving before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive. He didn’t go all the way to a blanket refusal of every possible deal, but he left very little room for interpretation.
“The front office knows the answer,” Contreras said. He later said he believes he has “found my family” in Boston and would like to finish his career there.
That matters because Contreras had looked like a natural Mariners target on paper. Seattle could use another dependable right-handed bat, and Contreras brings both power and postseason experience. He has also moved to first base, which would have given the Mariners another way to manage Josh Naylor.
The numbers explain why the idea had traction. Contreras entered the All-Star break with 20 home runs and a .921 OPS in 88 games for Boston. At 34, he’s in the middle of one of the best offensive seasons of his career, the kind of production that always gets attention when the trade deadline starts heating up.
But a good fit and a realistic option are two different things, and that’s where the Mariners’ hopes run into a wall. Contreras controls where he goes, and Boston has little incentive to move its top hitter anyway. The Red Sox finished the first half by winning 14 of 16 and climbed within a half-game of a wild-card spot.
Contreras also came to Boston with his no-trade protection intact after approving the deal that sent him from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Red Sox. Since then, he’s settled in and helped push Boston back into the playoff conversation.
So while Seattle’s interest made sense, the conversation never really had much room to breathe. There wasn’t strong evidence Boston wanted to deal him, and now Contreras has made the answer even simpler. He doesn’t want out.
For Mariners fans and deadline-watchers running trade machine scenarios, that’s the cue to move on. Contreras found what he was looking for in Boston, and Seattle will have to find its answer somewhere else.
In Other News...
Former Mariners Outfielder Finally Reached A Breaking Point In Oakland
Cade Marlowes path through pro ball has already taken him from Seattle to a second organization, and now the former Mariners outfielder is back on the market after using an opt-out in his minor league deal with Oakland. It comes after a productive stretch at Triple-A, the kind of run that usually keeps a player in the conversation for a call-up and gives a club a reason to keep him close.
For Seattle fans, Marlowe is still easy to remember from his 42 big league games over two seasons, a brief stint that included a memorable ninth-inning grand slam against the Angels before he was designated for assignment and later chose free agency. Oaklands decision not to bring him up leaves his next step unsettled, but it also puts a familiar name back into the kind of limbo that often defines the fringe of a major league roster. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Prospect Felnin Celesten Is Forcing His Way Back Into Focus
Felnin Celestens season has gone from promising to impossible to ignore, and now the Mariners are rewarding it with another jump. The 19-year-old shortstop has moved up from High-A Everett after putting together the best offensive stretch of his pro career, the kind of performance that has pushed him back onto major prospect lists and put his name squarely back in the organizations long-range conversation.
Celesten is expected to make his Double-A debut soon after the teams day off, which will be the next real test of how much of that production carries with him. For Seattle, the appeal is obvious: a young middle infielder who is trending the right way again and forcing evaluators to take a fresh look at him, even as the tougher competition in Arkansas will tell the next part of the story. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Just Sent Another Top Prospect Up With Celesten
The Mariners kept the prospect pipeline moving this week by adding another pair of names to the next stop on the developmental ladder. Outfielder Jonny Farmelo and right-hander Lucas Kelly are headed to Double-A Arkansas, joining Felnin Celesten after both spent time turning heads at High-A Everett.
For Seattle, the timing matters as much as the move itself. Farmelo has been one of the organizations more closely watched young hitters, while Kelly has given the AquaSox useful innings in relief, and now both get a tougher test in Little Rock. It is another sign that the Mariners are willing to keep pushing their better minor league talent together, even if the next level is where the real evaluation begins. [Read more 🡒]