Seattle Mariners Reportedly Prefer to Trade From Farm System as Talks Ramp up
The rumors involving the Seattle Mariners have ramped up leading to MLB Winter Meetings, which take place from Dec. 9-12 in Dallas.
The Mariners have reportedly been in talks with the Chicago Cubs for second baseman Nico Hoerner, former MVP Cody Bellinger and with the Philadelphia Phillies for third baseman Alec Bohm.
The reports have stated there's a possibility for a three team-deal involving the Cubs, Seattle and the Chicago White Sox. There's no report whether or not those talks fell through, are paused or still progressing.
But there have been reports about where the Mariners organization would prefer to trade from.
Seattle entered the offseason with one of the best farm systems in all of baseball. They had a league-high eight top 100 prospects on Baseball America's list and five minor leaguers on MLB Pipeline's top 100.
And per a story from the Seattle Times' Adam Jude, the farm system is exactly where the club would prefer to trade from:
The Mariners are also known to covet Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, who is due $23.5 million over the next two seasons (and had flexor tendon surgery on his throwing arm in October).
The Cubs are seeking proven major league talent in return. The Mariners would prefer to trade from one of the deepest prospect pools in baseball.
Seattle has a litany of middle infield prospects that they can trade such as Colt Emerson, Cole Young, Michael Arroyo and Felnin Celesten. The M's also have prospects like pitchers Logan Evans, Brandyn Garcia, catcher Harry Ford and outfielder Lazaro Montes that would garner interest.
Days removed from key Everett AquaSox players getting the call up to Arkansas, one of the new players is already making a name for himself.
— Luis Torres (@TheLTFiles) June 27, 2024
Michael Arroyo gets his first home run as an AquaSox to kickstart the team's dominant night against the Spokane Indians. AquaSox won 5-0. pic.twitter.com/wZBeKuIe86
But for the Mariners to pull off a trade for Hoerner or Bellinger, odds are there's a major league player that will have to be included so the team can make the salary work. The Cubs are also reported to want major league talent in return for Hoerner.
But as the Winter Meetings get closer, there's a much better indication at what Seattle is willing to part with. Now it's a matter of whether or not other teams are willing to accept it.
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