The Seattle Mariners are heading into a compressed stretch where the usual offseason playbook doesn’t really apply.
With the annual general managers meetings set for Las Vegas this week and the looming lockout scheduled to begin on Dec. 1 at 9:00 p.m. PT, the next few weeks may be the only real window for teams to get something done before baseball shuts down.
Normally, the GM meetings are just the warm-up act for the winter meetings, when the hot stove really starts cooking. This year, the clock is tighter and the uncertainty is louder.
That matters for Seattle, because the Mariners are not expected to be big spenders before the lockout while the league’s financial picture remains unsettled. If they’re going to make a meaningful addition before everything freezes, the trade market looks like the likeliest path.
That’s not unfamiliar territory for Jerry Dipoto’s front office. Since 2020, the Mariners have been one of the league’s most active trade teams, bringing in Ty France, Matt Brash, Andres Munoz, Eugenio Suarez, Jesse Winker, Randy Arozarena, Josh Naylor, Jorge Polanco, Suarez again and Brendan Donovan.
On the latest “Refuse to Lose Territory” podcast, ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney said the Mariners are at least exploring what’s out there.
And what I’m hearing from other teams is the Mariners are looking around, and they’re just seeing what’s possible.
Olney added that the current market could look a lot like the one that followed the last labor stoppage. He pointed back to the fall of 2021, when teams held a wave of conversations at the GM meetings, the lockout hit, and then once the CBA was resolved in the spring, trades started flying.
And what I’m hearing is that the Mariners are checking in on things, and they certainly, I mean, some of these teams, you’ve got, for example, the Mets, the Cubs, and the San Diego Padres desperately in need of starting pitching.
That kind of need could create openings for Seattle if the Mariners decide to move a starter. Logan Gilbert is entering the final year of his contract, George Kirby has two years left, and Bryce Miller and Emerson Hancock could also bring back a solid return, with both carrying at least three years of team control.
Still, Olney doesn’t expect a flood of deals before the lockout.
I don’t think that there’s going to be many trades at all because no one knows what the rules are going to be after the CBA until the CBA is signed.
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For Seattle, the bigger picture still looks favorable. The Mariners have climbed in the AL West since 2021 and have built around a young, talented roster backed by a strong farm system, giving them a much firmer base than the one they were working from a few years ago. But Oaklands move toward Las Vegas in 2028 could shape how aggressively the As spend and retain players, and if this new front office can get the pitching side moving in the right direction, the division may not stay as comfortable as it has looked lately. [Read more 🡒]
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But plenty can change between now and then, and the roster is hardly settled. Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor are coming off surgeries, while Randy Arozarena and J.P. Crawford are both headed for free agency, leaving Jerry Dipoto with decisions to make and, perhaps, room to shop for help if the front office decides the current group still needs more reinforcement. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Bullpen Hunt Could Finally Test How Bold Jerry Dipoto Gets
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One name that has surfaced in that conversation is Bryan Abreu, a buy-low type whose recent performance metrics make him an intriguing fit for a club that wants upside without paying top-of-market prices. The question for Seattle is whether Dipoto is ready to step outside the teams recent pattern and make a more aggressive reliever move, because the kind of deal projected for Abreu would signal a different level of boldness than the Mariners have shown in this lane. [Read more 🡒]