The Mariners have made one thing clear in their winter trade talks: Ryan Sloan is not part of the conversation.
Seattle has spent the GM meetings looking for help on the left side of the infield, and according to Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, other clubs have effectively been told not to bother asking about Sloan. General manager Justin Hollander said it a little more gently. “I wouldn’t anticipate Ryan Sloan being traded,” he told Jude.
That stance says plenty about how the Mariners view the 20-year-old right-hander. Sloan is coming off a dominant full season in Double-A, and Seattle is already treating him like a pitcher it expects to build around.
Hollander believes 155 innings is within reach next year, after Sloan threw 101 1/3 innings at Double-A Arkansas. That would mean another 54 innings or so, and some of them could come in Seattle if a first-half call-up is in play.
In other words, the Mariners could be looking at Sloan with a starter’s workload in the big leagues this season.
Baseball America ranks Sloan ninth in the sport, but Seattle’s thinking goes beyond prospect status. The organization is already mapping out how often it can give him the ball. With Kade Anderson already graduated from prospect status, there’s a real chance the two pitchers who got close in Arkansas end up sharing a major league rotation.
That matters because Seattle’s bigger roster puzzle may require a starter to be moved for offense. If the Mariners trade from the rotation, the leading candidates are George Kirby and Emerson Hancock. Keeping Sloan off the table gives them one less path to land the infielder Jerry Dipoto wants.
Hancock is the more obvious trade chip after the season he just turned in. He made 25 starts, posted a 3.57 ERA and struck out 126 batters in 138 2/3 innings.
That’s a sharp jump from the 109 strikeouts he recorded in 162 2/3 innings over his first three big-league seasons combined. It gives Seattle something real to offer, but it also raises the question of what another club would be willing to pay for one season at that level.
The Mariners would likely want an everyday shortstop or third baseman who gets on base and can hold the job for more than a year.
Kirby is a different kind of trade discussion. His 2026 numbers - a 4.33 ERA and 47 walks in 174 2/3 innings - give a buyer room to push for a discount.
But his track record still carries weight. In 2023 and 2024, he walked 42 batters total across 381 2/3 innings and posted ERAs of 3.35 and 3.53.
Even in a down year, he stayed healthy and reliable, which is exactly why Seattle would need a strong return if it ever moved him.
If the Mariners are going to put Kirby on the table, the return needs to be the kind of bat that changes the middle of the order. Think more than a stopgap.
Think someone with impact, someone who belongs near the top of the lineup every night. The source here points to Isaac Paredes as that kind of fit: 25 homers and a .360 on-base percentage in 2026, the sort of hitter who could slot into the No. 2 spot and force pitchers to work before they get to the heart of the order.
That’s the bar Seattle should be setting if it gives up 30 starts from Kirby. If the best offer is only a solid regular, the safer move is to keep Kirby and see what Hancock can bring back instead.
For now, though, Sloan is staying put. The Mariners believe he can give them the kind of starts other teams are trying to pry loose, and they’re not eager to cash that in unless the return is worth it.
In Other News...
Mariners Linked To A Former Top Pick Fans Have Seen Before
The trade market is already starting to circle around a name Mariners fans know well from the draft hype cycle: Dylan Crews. According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, the former second overall pick has come up in discussions because there are so few right-handed-hitting outfielders available and because Washington is looking for controllable starting pitching, a combination that could make him a tempting fit for clubs trying to buy low on upside.
For Seattle, the appeal is obvious enough. Crews still carries the pedigree of a top prospect, but his major league track record has not matched the billing, with his plate discipline slipping and his offense lagging behind expectations. It is the kind of profile that can look familiar in a hurry to Mariners fans, and the comparison to Jarred Kelenic is a reminder that chasing a once-promising bat can come with plenty of risk if the breakout never arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Push Hard To Land A Key Answer In The Outfield
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There is a real clock on this pursuit, too, with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire on Dec. 1. That gives the Mariners a narrow window to make their case and potentially line up a deal before the offseason goes dark, which only adds to the urgency around a player who could change the look of their lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Have One Reason To Feel Better About Astros Right Now
Houstons managerial search ended with Brad Ausmus formally taking over as the Astros new skipper, a move that reportedly had the fingerprints of new general manager Randy Flores and perhaps other voices inside the organization. For the Mariners, the news lands as another reminder that the division rival is still sorting through a new leadership structure, with Flores hired shortly before Ausmus and the decision already inviting questions about how the Astros are going to operate moving forward.
Seattle, meanwhile, has its own house in order after hiring Jason Kanzler as manager and bringing in assistants CJ Gillman and Tanner Swanson. The contrast matters because the Mariners would rather face an Astros club still adjusting to a fresh front office and dugout alignment than one with a settled chain of command, even if the exact dynamics behind Houstons choice remain something of a mystery for now. [Read more 🡒]