The Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox could wind up looking at each other as trade partners again, and this time the fit is obvious enough to make sense for both sides.
Chicago needs starting pitching. Seattle has more starters than it can comfortably fit into a rotation.
The White Sox also have infielders the Mariners could use, which is why this pairing feels like more than just a loose offseason theory. There’s a deal structure in there somewhere if both teams decide to dig.
That said, Chicago does not have to solve this problem through a trade. White Sox GM Chris Getz pointed to free agency as an option, and he was direct about being ready when that market opens.
As James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times reported, Getz said: "We’re going to be as ready as we can when free agency opens. And be able to pounce when need be."
Even so, the free-agent board doesn’t exactly scream certainty. It’s difficult to picture the White Sox getting seriously involved in the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes, and once you move past him, the winter starts looking thin.
Freddy Peralta and Trevor Rogers can both be useful, but they’ve also shown how rough they can get. Sonny Gray and Kevin Gausman bring experience, though both carry enough age and mileage to make another Luis Castillo-type miss a real concern.
That’s why the trade market has to stay in play.
Seattle, for its part, has a rotation that could use some reshaping. Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, Emerson Hancock and Kade Anderson already make for a crowded group, and that’s before Ryan Sloan and Logan Evans, who is expected back from Tommy John surgery, are factored in. “Too much” is not a bad way to describe it.
Gilbert is under control through 2027, so he doesn’t line up as neatly with a White Sox club that wants to build something that lasts in the AL Central. Anderson and Sloan are also the sort of names that probably stay put unless a true star is involved. That still leaves Seattle with enough arms that Jerry Dipoto should at least be listening.
If the White Sox pushed for Kirby, Miller or Hancock, the Mariners would have every reason to ask for Colson Montgomery. He struck out more than anyone else in a single season this year, but he also launched 31 homers, and his shortstop defense has generally graded better than average. He’s 24 and controlled through 2031, which gives him real value.
If Seattle made Woo available, the asking price would likely jump to Miguel Vargas territory. He’s not a standout defender at third, but right-handed hitters who pair strong strike-zone judgment with 30-home-run power do not grow on trees. Vargas is 26 and controlled through 2029.
The White Sox won’t be eager to move either Montgomery or Vargas, but they have another reason to think hard if the right pitcher becomes available: their three best prospects are all left-side infielders - Roch Cholowsky, Caleb Bonemer and Billy Carlson.
So yes, this is still just the kind of idea that gets pinned to a board and discussed in broad strokes. But the ingredients are there.
Seattle has pitching. Chicago needs it.
Seattle could use infield help. Chicago has it.
At some point, it may come down to which front office makes the first call.
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