The Mariners are off to a terrific start this season, with a 47-38 record that puts them in command of the AL West division battle, 4.5 games ahead of the Astros. Given their strong position in the standings as the second half begins, it’s not surprise that Seattle intends to add to their roster ahead of the trade deadline, which is exactly one month from today, July 30. Last week’s reports indicated that the Mariners intend to be “aggressive” in strengthening their offensive this summer, and today’s report from MLBNetwork’s Jon Morosi gave more insights to the club’s plans. According to Morosi, the Mariners have already began discussing potential deals with other clubs and are now targeting the acquisition of one daily hitter as well as bullpen aid.
It is entirely reasonable for Seattle to strive for improvements in those areas. Despite their strong record, the team has struggled offensively this season, ranking 21st in the majors with a 94 wRC+, the same as the Athletics. Perhaps most troubling for a team that aggressively attempted to add more contact-oriented bats to their offense over the offseason is that they lead the majors with a 27.9% strikeout rate while getting on base at a rate of only.298, ranking sixth from the bottom of all clubs.
The Mariners will undoubtedly rely on internal improvements to spark the offense on some level, with key players like Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, and J.P. Crawford performing well below expectations, but even if those three remain in everyday roles, there is still plenty of room for the club to improve externally. Only Josh Rojas, Dylan Moore, and Luke Raley have a wRC+ that is more than 5% higher than the league average among the club’s 11 hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this season. Even then, Moore is a part-time player who has started just 17 of the club’s 27 games this month, while Rojas has slashed only.230/.283/.323 following a blistering hot April.
Given the severe lack of offensive impact across the roster, the Mariners should not be limited to a single position in their search for offensive upgrades. Raleigh and Mitch Garver are expected to remain the club’s partnership behind the plate, Rodriguez will continue to play center field, and Crawford will play shortstop, but there is plenty of room on the roster for a major offensive addition. It’s easy to imagine Seattle adding White Sox veteran Tommy Pham and his 112 wRC+ to their corner outfield mix alongside Raley, Mitch Haniger, and Dominic Canzone, and as more teams decide to sell as the deadline approaches, higher-profile players like Cody Bellinger of the Cubs, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays, and Brandon Lowe of the Rays could become available.
In Seattle, however, the bullpen is not in as bad of a predicament as the offense. The Mariners’ relievers have a 3.86 ERA, which ranks 15th in the majors. However, more advanced measures such as FIP (12th), xFIP (8th), and SIERA (7th) all indicate that the Mariners’ relief corps is stronger than their middling performance would otherwise imply. That’s due in large part to the fact that they’ve struck out 25.1% of batters this season, ranking fourth among all MLB teams. Seattle also has the most fresh bullpen arms in the majors; no team has relied on their relievers as little as the Mariners, who have only used their complete bullpen for 254 innings.
However, practically every contender can benefit from adding depth to their bullpen, and the Mariners are no exception. This is especially relevant given the epidemic of injuries sustained by the club’s relievers throughout the first half. Back-end arms Matt Brash, Gregory Santos, and Gabe Speier have all missed substantial time this season. While Santos and Speier are still anticipated to contribute this year, Brash is now slated to miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last month.
Giving manager Scott Servais another solid option to partner alongside Andres Munoz and Ryne Stanek in the late innings, especially one who throws from the left side, makes perfect sense for the Mariners. Tanner Scott of the Marlins is expected to be the best lefty bullpen arm available this summer, but T.J. McFarland of the Athletics, Matt Moore of the Angels, and Andrew Chafin of the Tigers are among the other players who could be available in the coming weeks.
